Paul was desperate for Rome when he ran aground. Do you ever run aground, especially while doing your best to get things done or help someone? Me too. I try hard to be focused and do a few things well instead of spreading myself too thin for anyone's good. But what do I do when my every effort seems unprofitable and every direction yields a U turn? Am I desperate in my quest to please the Lord as Paul was? Am I just spinning my wheels? And where is the merit in continuing to bail water from a sinking ship? (Not all my 'ships' are sinking, but some have holes in their hulls for sure.)
When our greatest
efforts are thwarted by outside influences, how do we maintain a peaceful
composure? I am not talking about optional endeavors, but true responsibilities. (You know - the ones you used to run from.) We all have them - not just work, household chores, and errands, but caring for
others who need real help in getting through their days. Why isn't it easy
to do the right thing all the time?
It is then that I am
reminded that God is sovereign over all. He sees us, along with our weakest efforts to please Him or the biggest sacrifice we can manage in order to
bring Him glory. He also sees our attitudes. God knows and numbers our days here. We are on a journey, too, like Paul.
In this life even
our best attempts will not always go as planned or be immune from roadblocks
and hindrances. These obstructions - big and small - are designed by God
for our good even if we feel like failures for a little while.
The key is not to
quit, but to press on in the face of broken expectations or delays in
reaching the end of our lists of to do's. There will always be another
list tomorrow.
Sometimes we must
run aground as Paul did. If you continue reading in Acts, you will
see that Paul ministered to many on that island and he was ministered to in
return. He worked wherever the Lord placed him. He took advantage of the wreck God designed for his good...and no
one died.
No comments:
Post a Comment