Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. (Psalm 50:15)
In the Florida Keys there’s
a landmark bait and tackle shop named Capt. Hook’s. It’s crammed full of
fishing items and eclectic paraphernalia. Small signs dot the walls, like
“I’ve only got one nerve left, and you’re on it.” For some reason that came
to mind back when I was dealing with issues regarding my aging father,
mainly about his driving the car. If you have an older parent, maybe you can
relate to this: we didn’t want him driving any longer. His eyesight was not
too good and he had some senile dementia. He was determined to keep driving.
Only around town, of course. “Just to church, and the cemetary, maybe the
bank or grocery, but only in the daytime.”
One afternoon we got a call to come and get him in
a town about an hour away. Apparently he had been driving around, gotten
disoriented, and was confused why he wasn't at his local grocery store. I
don’t know who I was more worried about, him or someone in another car he
might hit. I did know I was coming to the end of my rope with the driving
situation. I prayed a little bit about it, but actually I was trying to
figure it out on my own. Many solutions formed in my thoughts; some were
actually implemented, to no avail. He simply was not buying anything we did
or said to convince him to give up driving.
There’s a saying, “When you get to the end of your
rope, tie a knot in it.” It is best to go to the Lord first when we have
problems. When we don't, though, and all else fails and we’re at the end of
our rope, it’s good to remember the knot’s got a name. Jesus.
We prayed and I turned my dad and the whole
situation over to the Lord. Not long after that, he did make a decision to
give up driving and give the car to someone needing transportation.
The plan is to remember to go to the Lord in
prayer before getting to the end of the rope, and more importantly, that
Jesus is the best knot name.
Sally I. Kennedy http://www.sallyikennedy.com sallyikennedy@bellsouth.net
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.