Puking overboard!!!

Ok I have not been slacking on posting I've just been real busy.... but I am back and have something more to say. This one will be in 3 parts.

About a year ago I was introduce to a show called The Deadliest Catch. The idea of the show is to bring cameras on board a boat that is going to sea to trap crabs. They only have a certain amount of time to trapped them and they have to follow some guidelines. When the boat returns to the harbor and it cargo is full of crab they can make a good amount of money. The down side to this is that the time alloted for them to go and trap crab can be one of the most challenging times weather wise. Most times is freezing, snow builds up on the side of the boat, the boat can experience mechanical failure and on a couple of occasions some boats have sank and lost an entire crew. It's an interesting show to say the least.

Watching this show brought back a quote from a choir director and good friend of mine, "as a believer you are in one of three stages/positions in your life, either you are going into a storm, in the middle of a storm or coming out of a storm".

It really had me thinking about where my life was and is within this quote. Regardless of where your life might be when it comes to this quote, i believe that are some steps/notions that we need to keep in mind. Let's look at the first one.

Not sure if you have ever been on a boat in the middle of an ocean and you look to the horizon and instead of seeing a beautiful sun set, bright and orange silhouetted by a blue sky and some nice fluffy clouds you see the sky darkening to gray, the clouds look heavy, the winds in picking up and you smell a storm coming. It is a overwhelming feeling knowing that you are in the path of an oncoming storm and there is really nothing you can do but to ride it out and hope for the best. Most time this how we feel when we see that storm coming. It reminds me of the story in Matthew 8:23-24 where the disciples got on a boat with Jesus and a storm took them.

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.
Matthew 8:23-24

First we need to remember and understand that following Jesus is not something that is easy. We need to take up our cross daily. We need to sacrifice who we are. Finally, we need to remember that their is a cost following Jesus, storms will come. Unexpected storms will always come. In this particular verse the disciples where following Jesus. He told them to get into the boat and it says that a storm came without warning. Is this not what we experience a lot of times? Unexpected storms in our lives. Car accidents, The baby fell, I lost my job, I hurt myself, etc. Storms will come and storms will go, is how you ride them out that will make a big difference in out lives.

You might be looking at a storm coming to you right now. You might see the skies getting dark, the wind picking up the water getting rough, you might not even see the storm coming at you. But, knowing that we will always face these types of circumstances should help us to be aware and prepare for anything. If you know what to do when the storm hits, if you are prepare when the first gust of wind hits your sail, if you have everything buckle down then the outcome is a lot better. If you know who you are in Christ, if you believe the promises that He has for us. If you keep his word in your heart, then the storms become more bearable

Be aware that storms will come. Some storms will appear when we least expect them and with out warning. Being prepare before hand is a blessing that we have and that we should take advantage of. How are you prepare when that storm hits? Are you getting prepare? or are you just leaving it up to chance? Hoping that things won't be as bad as then seem. Pray that God can help you get prepare. Take it upon yourself to be always prepare for the storms.



On the next blog we will talk about riding the storm.

God bless