Tag Archive - colorado

Row, Row, Row Your Boat…

October 25, 2010 in Across My Heart with 2 Comments

Sometimes we all need reminders. Here’s yours & mine today. Keep rowing when life’s waves are crashing all around you…

We lived in Colorado for six glorious months last year. It was an adventure in so many ways and thank God they were mostly positive adventures.

Shortly before we moved, Grandpa & Grandma came for a visit. We went on several adventures with them, one being Whitewater Rafting down the Colorado River. They bought T-shirts for our boys, who also braved the rapids. The back of the shirts say

Row, Row, Row Your Boat...

Row, Row, Row your boat

Gently down a raging,

bone-crushing

Life threatening

Class V stream,

Merrily, merrily, merrily

Life is but a dream!

An adventurous twist on the old nursery rhyme. My boys have sang it many, many times since our visit from Grandpa & Grandma.

The Bible is full of adventure. Did you know the disciples took their own turn at a Class FIVE stream? Yep… I think they were way cooler than we give them credit for.

John 6:17-19“…And it was already dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid.”

Seriously, they rowed about three or four miles in the dark, raging, bone crushing sea storm waiting for Jesus. I read that this may have taken them nine hours! They kept rowing, and rowing, and rowing, until their Savior appeared.

If I’d been in the boat, I’d have been like, “Okay. I’ve had enough. You guys are ridiculously diluted if you think Jesus is gonna show up now! Seriously, He’s probably snoring under a fig tree somewhere waiting for us to get rid of our stupidity. Lets use the brains God gave us & get this boat to shore before we all DIE!” just before passing out.

If they had listened to me, we all would’ve missed the miracleS.  But FINALLY in the darkest, stormiest hour they saw Jesus walking on the sea. Jesus showed up when the storm was at its worst and when they realized it was Him, their Savior, they willingly received Him into the boat.

When Jesus got into the boat, “immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.” Jesus walking on water gets a lot of hyped attention in Christian circles. It’s like no one notices that He also TRANSPORTED them & their boat to EXACTLY where they needed to be. Jesus was the original Spock! Beam me up, Scotty!

I’ve got a few of my own storms going on right now. How about you?

I encourage you no matter how dark it is, how hard the storm is blowing… KEEP ROWING!!!! Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the raging, bone-crushing life-threatening class FIVE stream! Jesus is there with you, even though you don’t see Him. He knows the perfect time to intervene. Have you noticed it’s usually at the last possible moment – when circumstances look the worst & impossible?

So keep rowing when you’re tired & think you can’t row anymore!

Keep rowing when you’re hungry – the Bread of Life will satisfy you!

Keep rowing when family & friends have started swimming for the shore!

Keep rowing – your Savior is on His way & your miracles are in the making.

Shine On Sisters!

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Don’t Give Up!

July 5, 2010 in Across My Heart with 4 Comments

Overwhelmed? Under-appreciated? Got too many plates spinning? Ready to throw all your hats into the fire?

Joel Osteen tells a story about not giving up. Here’s my version.

This story is about a healthy woman who went on an early morning Colorado hike.

At it’s base the mountain’s elevation was 8,000 feet above sea level. At it’s summit it was over 11,000. The sign at the bottom of the trail read, “3 hours to reach the summit.” Undaunted, she began the climb with fervor, in spite of feeling breathless quicker than she expected.

The trail zig & zagged up the side of the steep mountain. The further up she went, the harder the terrain became. Several times she had to stop to catch her breath. About 45 minutes into the climb, she was sweaty, discouraged and kinda ticked at herself. She felt out of shape. She just knew she’d worn the wrong shoes, and couldn’t imagine climbing another two hours to the summit. As she set on a large rock, she began to doubt if it was worth the climb at all.

As she debated with her inner self, an older gentleman passed by, coming down from the summit. He smiled and simply said, “You’re closer than you think.” before he continued walking. Hmm. Maybe he’s right, she thought. So she stood up, dusted herself off & began to climb, all the while saying to herself, I’m closer than I think.

To her astonishment not 15 minutes later, she reached the summit! What? How was that possible? Was the sign wrong? A three hour climb took her just over an hour. She was thrilled as the excitement & joy of accomplishment overtook her. Victory!

The man had been right! She truly was closer than she thought.

In  your own life, be encouraged today that you are closer than you think! You’re closer than you think to reaching your goal. You’re closer than you think to overcoming that trial you’ve been in for so long.  Now is NOT the time to give up, but to pursue your dreams & press forward. You are closer than you think to victory!

Has there been a time in your life when you were ready to give up, but kept moving forward to find that the victory truly was worth the journey? What would you say to someone else facing a trial similar to the one you faced?

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