My oldest son and I had just been dropped at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State
Park at Key Largo, Florida where we would spend the morning snorkelling off of
the Florida Keys. My wife and my other son were on their way to swim with
dolphins, about 10 km farther up the road, and I had left everything except my
bathing suit, towel and snorkelling gear in the car. As a result, I had no
wallet, no credit cards, no identity, no keys, no car, not even a single dime.
It didn't strike me as strange at first, but while we were waiting to check in,
I was suddenly overcome with panic. I felt completely naked and totally out of
control of my circumstances. I mean, what if my wife got in an accident? I
wouldn't be able to help her. What if my son got hurt and had to be taken to the
hospital? I wouldn't even be able to contact my wife. What if our boat sank?
What if…
Wow. All of these "What ifs" now make me realize what a real moron I was! But at
the time, as I was going through each of these scenarios, I became more and more
tense and less and less sociable.
All of a sudden I came back to my senses and pushed these trivial concerns to
the side. I realized, to my dismay, that I was taking the devil's bait and
entering the dark side. Praise God that He sent His Spirit to help me realize
what kind of danger I was in! Had I ignored Him, I would have been a basket case
for the remainder of the day. I would have been useless to the Kingdom of God! I
would have wasted my time as well as wasted the time of others!
We did eventually take the boat, and it took us miles off the coast. There we
had the opportunity to snorkel to our hearts' content around a small coral reef
filled with a multitude of beautiful fish. I befriended a particular school of
fish. I called them "Zebra Fish", as they had lively bands of black and yellow
all over their body. I would later learn that they were actually called Sergeant
Majors, though they were quite different from the sergeant majors I know of!
These colourful fish followed me around as if I was part of their school. This
brightened my day, for who wouldn't be delighted by being followed around by
sergeant majors!
Had I dwelled on the path of panic, I would have been a grump. I would have
likely swallowed lots of sea water, gone back to the boat, and never had a
chance to realize what beauty was all around me. We have a daily choice to make:
Will we let our circumstances dominate us, or will we trust in the Lord? One
will fill us with panic, the other with inner peace. One will make us useless,
the other will help us see where God is giving us the opportunity to join Him at
His work.
"Ì've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances." (Phil 4:11
The Message)
"I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured,
deeply at peace." (John 16:33)
"Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good." (Rom
12:21 The Message)
"But what about who will water my plants while I am away?"
Even with this, God can help you: "The fundamental fact of existence is that
this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that
makes life worth living." (Heb 11:1 The Message)
In whom will you put your trust?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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