it's ok to take a lunch break in the storm

I wish I could tell you
that life was just a string
of sunshiny days...
one after another with
smooth sailing through life.

But once we decide to leave
the safety of the shore,
we soon find that out for ourselves.

Whether we spring a leak
in the hull of the boat
and our finances drain away, or
the tempest winds will simply
not stop tossing us to and fro
in the working world of
"gotta-be-on-top."

Life has a way of telling us
that what we thought about
control, was simply a prideful
and childish dream.

But some of us take a little longer
to wake up than others.

And our friend Paul often found
himself surrounded by many of
those late bloomers.

When we join him today,
he is still a prisoner, two years after
the Commander lifted him from
the angry mob of Jerusalem.

Captive to the system,
he waited for justice as rulers
delayed judgement, simply because
they were intimidated by the
Jewish High Council.

Until finally, Paul pleaded
for an appeal to Caesar.
So off to Rome he went,
But this voyage would be
nothing but smooth sailing.

Paul was certain, early in the
voyage, that this ship would not
make it to it's destinaton.
He was one of many prisoners
and warned the officer in charge.
But why would he listen to
a convict aboard?

After fourteen days of tossing
and turning at sea, many began
to realize that maybe this Paul
had some wise advice for them.

Just as day was dawning,
Paul urged everyone to eat.
“You have been so worried
that you haven’t touched food
for two weeks,” he said.
“Please eat something now
for your own good.
For not a hair of your
heads will perish.”

Then he took some bread,
gave thanks to God
before them all, and
broke off a piece and ate it.
Then everyone was encouraged
and began to eat...
all 276 of us who were on board.
After eating, the crew lightened
the ship further by throwing
the cargo of wheat overboard.
Acts 27:33-38 NLT
​
Paul's advice was, of course,
given to those tossed about
in a sea of troubled waters.

Men so worried, working so hard
to keep the ship afloat and steered
on course, that they never stopped
to eat, nor care for themselves.

But how true this advice is for us,
when we are tossed about
by life's storms... no matter the size.

Oftentimes, we get so focused
on the problems and circumstances
that surround, and all that we can do
to fix them, we forget to stop
and nourish ourselves in God.

We neglect our relationship
with the One true Helper
who can give us more strength
and support for the journey
than any other thing will do.

I know this...
because I've been there.

I've tried desperately
to do my job, take care of my family,
keep my house and budget afloat...
all by myself.

And as much as I'd like to pridefully
say that I'm wonderwoman
and can do it all...
I just can't.

Because even on the sunniest day
it's too much for me.

And let a storm roll in and I'm sunk.
That's when I begin to start
throwing things overboard
to lighten the load...
sometimes things that are
necessary for the jouney.

But I can't make right decisions,
not really wise ones...
unless I'm nourished and fed.
Not on junk food from the world,
which looks at life from the outside,
but by the One who has a greater
perspective on my life than me.

God can see all that I have
and don't have.
God can see the storm coming
way before it hits.
And God can be the calm 
in the middle of it,
if I will just take the time to
humble myself and listen.

Paul clung to that ship,
tossed about at sea,
the winds raging, the waves
spilling over the sides and
he saw the fear in their eyes
even though they never stopped
working to stay afloat.

“You have been so worried 
that you haven’t touched food 
for two weeks,” he said.
“Please eat something now 
for your own good."

God also sees us hanging on.
He knows our grip is getting weak,
but He doesn't want us to rely
upon the boat to keep us safe.
Rather, our faith to be in Him.

So we need to take Paul's advice...
“Please eat something now 
for your own good."
A bite of God's word,
a simple whispered prayer...
Help, I need You now!
A humbled heart, saying,
I can't do this alone.

God really does want to be
our safe haven in the storm,
and He will guide and direct us,
even giving us wisdom as to
what is the uncesssary load
that we need to toss overboard
to lighten us up for the journey.

But He's waiting on us
to take the time to be nourished
by Him.

And at the risk of mixing metaphors,
if there had been a steward
on Paul's ship...
anyone like a flight attendant
who warns in cas of an emergency,
we ought to put the oxygen mask
first on ourself, then on those
whom we have around us...
this nourishment is much the same.

We can't help those in our family,
or our surrounding circle,
if we aren't being properly fed.

We need to take what God has offered.
There is much more than a snack.
He's actually prepared for us
a meal... a feast,
if we will only take the time.

It's actually ok
to take a lunch break in the storm.

Word of God
train me today...
To lean on, rely upon and be fed by You.

To let go of my tight grip of control
and realize that You want to guide my life
safely to the shore and our of the storm.