We Need To Be Tougher

"On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land." Acts 27:27

Fourteen nights? Are you kidding me? Most of us could not handle such circumstances. They have no idea exactly where they are. No Coast Guard. No motor. No lights. The fear and anxiety must have been palpable. 276 passengers being driven by winds and currents across unknown waters. Sound exciting? Sound awful? Depends on how tough you are. Too many of us are not tough enough. We panic if we can't find our phone. We obsess on our symptoms of sickness. We are ready to quit if anyone questions us about anything. We live in fear and dread of what ends up being nothing. We do it constantly. Please understand that in a consumer society like ours we must be kept in a constant sense of need in order to be marketed effectively. We are kept soft in order to make us feel like we need something, when what we really need to do is to trust God and obey Him.

I have read this chapter many times and following the sailors sensing that they were approaching land, they plot to lower the lifeboat and escape, leaving everybody else on board. I saw 'Titanic' too, and we all know that pressure, stress and tough situations can bring out the worst in us. But, it can also bring out the best in us. If you can for a moment detach yourself from all the nonsense that you are being relentlessly barraged with about what is going on and what is going wrong and what you need, and just listen to that still, small voice inside that says....'I am with you and you are going to be ok.' Instead we listen to others, or worse yet, the media, or the latest thing I saw online or read on Facebook. Wow! All this progress across 2,000 years certainly hasn't made us more durable.

What those 276 people faced was truly frightening. Way more than our hangnail or unpaid bill or broken phone. Way more than the noise our car is making or the misunderstood latest thing somebody said about somebody. We should save our panic for truly scary situations, and then trust God in them. Until we learn to toughen up and get our finger off of our pulses, stop complaining about everything and start to take some personal responsibility with some faith, we are just gonna be blown across every imaginary sea of our lives. Ooooh, I sense Pastor Fred has some strong feelings here about these matters. Anyway, my dear friends, we can all be a little tougher. When I read how people way back survived amazingly I am impressed and convicted. For me right now, I need to be careful not to whine about whiners. I need to look at me and how I can trust and obey him more. I need to remind myself every day that "I walk by faith and not by sight!" What I really need is Jesus. More of Him, less of me. I must confess, I feel healthier right now. I feel stronger right now. I am a little tougher right now. Try it, you'll like it. And it is free.

Free in Christ,
Pastor Fred

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