I’m the midst of a storm. The waves crash against me. My boat moves along the waves. Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down.
The Captain of my ship, Jesus Christ, is taking me on a journey towards a specific destination. Though it’s dark, windy and raining, I can see I’m making progress toward that destination. It doesn’t take much faith to believe that. The evidence is clear … right in front of my face.
Yet my mind is playing tricks on me!
Distracted By the Waves
The tall waves are splashing water of freezing temps into my boat. If I let it, my mind will speak to me about the water. “It’s so cold! I know there is warmth at the destination but will I ever really get there? I’ve been on this journey for years! I see the progress. But as I look around, this landscape doesn’t look so different then the one I passed last year. So am I really making progress or is it an illusion?”
It’s so easy to follow my thoughts and focus on the storm. Before I know it, I can find myself drifting backwards – DISTRACTED.
I’m learning about the power that I have within me to resist the distractions. I find that speaking in tongues as soon I recognize the lies/tricks help shift the atmosphere. If I’m honest, I don’t even fully understand why that works but I know that it works every time.
Make it Happen Captain
Next I re-evaluate the situation in light of truth. I look at my journey – where I’ve come from. I consider my Captain. Everything he told me to expect on this journey has come to pass.
I start to realize that the storm isn’t that bad after all. Each wave in the storm (if I steer the way Captain has instructed me) catapults me forward, toward my destination. The wave that felt like it nearly took me out helped me make more progress than I’ve made in years.
If I promptly focus on the voice of my Captain as soon as I see the wave; If I remember how he pulled me through the last one, the wave doesn’t seem so scary after all.
The key is to stay alert and refocus my mind quickly. If I allow it to be distracted too long, I can quickly drown in sorrow, despair and hopelessness.
I look out into the horizon. I see a crack of sunlight and I know everything will work out for my good.
