We Must Run Aground

This morning I read Acts 27 with more attention than I ever have in my life. If you're like me when I see long passages quoted, I tend to skip over and say, "yeh...so what part of this are they getting at?" I urge you to read this passage to see what might apply to YOUR situation, your mindset, and if you want, proceed with what part of it the Lord showed me.

16Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda,[b]
we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. 17After hoisting it up,
they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would(M)
run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear,[c]
and thus they were driven along. 18Since we were violently storm-tossed, they
began the next day(N)
to jettison the cargo. 19And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle
overboard with their own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many
days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last
abandoned.
21Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul
stood up among them and said, "Men,(O)
you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred
this injury and loss. 22Yet now I urge you to(P)
take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
23For this very night(Q)
there(R)
stood before me(S)
an angel of the God(T)
to whom I belong and(U)
whom I worship, 24and he said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul;(V)
you must stand before Caesar. And behold,(W)
God has granted you all those who sail with you.' 25So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26But(X) we must(Y) run aground on some island."

As I mentioned earlier this week, I am job hunting because Paul (my Paul, not the apostle) has asked me to, as a final straw to stay afloat financially while the kids are in college. Or until we receive an unexpected windfall.

I began reading this passage because it was on my reading schedule. I decided to pay closer attention. To be honest, Paul's missionary journeys haven't fascinated me like those of more modern missionaries. (Shame on me.) But then again, maybe my ship hasn't been tossed as violently with a lot of other shipmates with it.

Our current storm consists of more bills than we have income for, more health problems than insurance will completely cover, and parents who are aging and needing more of my attention for their health care. I began to add up our bills: 2 kids in college, 1 in Christian school (all bills due Aug 1), kindergarten curriculum and gym class costs, a car to replace the Taurus because it needed $900 in work and it's only worth $1400 itself). Braces for Ben's overcrowded mouth. Root canal, D&C and bladder surgery for me (the latter of which I've needed 5 years, so could in effect put off even longer). Monthly prescriptions for Paul and me. Some debt leftover from the exterior home improvements. Not to mention my Paul desperately needs a vacation, a complete getaway in the sun and surf before he pops of a heart attack or stroke. (Seriously, he is that stressed.)

So I paid attention to this passage for what applied to us figuratively.

1) fearing they would run aground, they...jettisoned the cargo . Sell more stuff, give it away to lessen the maintenance and mental clutter than accompanies ownership of stuff; cut expenses where possible.

2) "You should have listened to me and not incurred this injury and loss...." That applies, I think, to not having been more diligent to save for college. We've had a healthy 401K, for which we thank the Lord, but whatever we take out must be replaced for retirement.

Also I should have insisted on finding an OB/GYN who would not have let me "pop" my pelvis in the delivery room. It has cost us dearly at the drug store, and also has severely limited my ability to exercise strenuously. I'll spare you the graphics; just trust me.

3) "Do not be afraid, Paul;(V) you must stand before Caesar. And behold,(W) God has granted you all those who sail with you." In this life, in good conscience, we must pay what we owe. We don't have to be afraid, wring our hands, or get ulcers, but we can't walk away from responsibility, either. So I must work in order to face Caesar (pay what we owe as well as pay for educations that we believe will help our kids fulfill their callings, duties, and dreams.) I haven't worked for a real paycheck in 20 years; yes, facing reality is a bit like seeing a red sky in the morning. ("Red in the morning, sailors take warning...")

4) "We must run aground..." God has not promised to keep us from financial hardship. Or from bad health. Or from aging without difficulty. Those are facts of life in a fallen world. But He has promised to go with us. Sometimes He asks us to jettison the cargo, go without food a little while, suffer a bit. Run aground. The ship might be lost, but not lives surrendered to His orders.

I am not afraid.

For now, though, I will prepare for Paul's homecoming tonight. He took a train to New York City this morning in New York "business casual," which he stressed about last night because it's dressier than Baltimore business casual. (Needs long sleeves and a sport jacket in this heat and humidity on a crowded train.) I forgot to ask him the purpose of this trip. It's either to drum up new business or fix problems with current biz. He is the company peacemaker, in essence. Probably why he's been there 23 years and why he's so ready for a change.

As Sandy Barranco encouraged me last week when I was bemoaning home management as humdrum, "Paul needs a soft place to land."

I needed to hear that. So if he has run aground emotionally today, at least a soft beach will be waiting for him when he washes up on this island tonight.