“The shark jumped right into his boat. Terry Selwood was fishing off the coast of Australia, just like he had hundreds of times before. Something almost knocked him down and when he turned to see what it was that hit the boat, he realized that a seven-foot, 440-pound Great White shark had jumped into his boat. I wonder who was more surprised – the shark or Mr. Selwood. After radioing for help, he hung on the side of the boat until he was rescued. He evidently did not think it wise to share his boat with a shark. And seeing this story got me to thinking about life, Jesus, and ministry. You never know when life will take an unexpected turn for the worse. It could be a natural disaster that destroys property, an unforeseen layoff at work, or bad news from the Doctor. It can be something evil done to someone you know and care about. Or to you. It might be consequences from a bad choice or decision. It is a hard world and bad things happen” (Steve Ridgell, “Sharks, Life, and Jesus,” http://char.is/).
Perhaps there is a shark in your boat right now. It could be any of the things mentioned above or some other equally devastating problem. Regardless, there it is -- lying in the bottom of your boat, snapping its powerful jaws, seeking to take a bite out of you. You didn’t invite it in, yet, there it is, threatening to overwhelm you. What are you going to do???
I like the lines from the story above. “After radioing for help, he hung on the side of the boat until he was rescued. He evidently did not think it wise to share his boat with a shark.” None of us can handle the sharks of life one on one. The wisest course of action is to get out of harm’s way, send out a distress call to God, and hang on. It may not sound heroic, but it has an amazing success rate.
God loves you!
Mike
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