Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote The Power of Positive Thinking, was once on a ship in the Atlantic threatened by an approaching hurricane. The captain wisely decided to alter course and managed to sail around the worst of the hurricane. Soon after, he invited Dr Peale onto the bridge and explained how he’d laid off a new course to avoid the danger. Dr Peale asked him how he coped with the stress of such unpredictable situations. The captain replied that he’d always lived by a simple philosophy: if the sea is smooth, it will get rough; and if it is rough, it will get smooth. Then he added this gem: ‘But with a good ship,’ he said, “you can always ride it out.” Well, in life our ship is our faith in Christ. Though life for us may also be unpredictable, as the Bible says: ‘If God is for us, who or what can be against us.’
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Meta
Following a voice as if its the scent of a freshly baked pie and then one day, you’re just not so sure where it went. The clouds of uncertainty move in and the shore is not easily seen. A feeling of being alone at sea overcomes you when you realize the manual on ‘ How to Operate the Boat ‘ you are reading has a word, sentence, paragraph and / or page missing. There are funnier moments to dwell on; this is not one of them. Looking for a star of familiarity to guide you back onto a track that up until now you didn’t realize you’d veered off of. * smiles* I did not resist the large wave dropping itself onto my boat, but I did curse it. And then, as I kept on course, suddenly out of nowhere there it was… Land! What a relief once again to see the sun shining in all her glory. When I think I get it… I do not and when I think I don’t get it… I do. * sighs* The journey is like a razors edge. Make sure you have a good sexton. Trust with all your heart and stop trying to read the manual with a finite mind. 1 part brave, 3 parts fool.