Once, there was a woman who was living in a small city that was suffering from heavy storms. The flooding and rain had become very bad, but she resisted leaving her house. Eventually the conditions were so bad that she was unable to leave her house. She had to wait to be rescued. However, she had great faith in God, and believed that God would come rescue her. As the floodwaters kept rising, she was forced to move to the second floor of her house. Outside the second bedroom window, she saw a canoe float past, and some of the folks from her town were in it. They yelled for her to come with them.
She responded, "No, you go ahead. I know I'll be rescued." So the canoe paddled away in the torrential downpour. The waters rose even more, and soon she had to move to the attic. Not long after she moved, she heard a powerboat outside the window, and the president of her congregation encouraged her to get in.
She responded, "That's OK, really. I believe God has a plan for me." So the president shrugged his shoulders and motored away in the stormy night.
Not long after that, a helicopter arrived and hovered over her house. The pilot yelled over a microphone that they were going to drop a rope, so she could take hold of it to be pulled to safety.
However, she waved them off shouting: "Help someone else. My faith is strong and God will rescue me."
Well, that was the last vehicle to come by, and sadly, not long after that, the woman drowned. When she got to heaven, she had a chance to meet God, and challenging God, she said, "What's the big idea? You told me you were going to rescue me, save me. Why did you fail and let me die?"
And God replied: "Fail you? Fail you!! First I sent a canoe, then a boat. I even sent the helicopter. But no, you refused. Fail you? What did you expect, a miracle?"
I had a friend recently have me look at this a little differently and wanted to share it with you. Most people look at this as a way to hear God calling you. Sometimes we do not recognize the signs that He is with us and trying to send us help. We keep waiting for some miraculous sign when it often comes in simple - every day forms. This woman kept waiting for God himself to reach down to her I believe.
However, my friend was sharing with me that she wonders how often we are in the life boat judging the other people that are waving their hands in the air trying to get help. The other people who might be driving a less than beautiful boat. The ones who we think are different than we are. It just made me pause and think about the life boat we might be in. Are we busy thanking God for a way or busy looking at other boats and other people?
I will be posting quite a bit from here on out in the midst of absolute chaos. It will slowly unfold but I hope to show God's grace and humor in the midst of it all. It will make sense as you follow. Have a blessed evening!
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