Saturday, May 10, 2014

When the Seas are Crashing Don’t Overlook the Tugboat

When it seems like life is out of control and every bad thing that can happen does happen, we can feel very overwhelmed.  We may even feel like we are drowning in the crashing seas where one wave after another knocks us down before we can recover from the wave before it.  You know how it goes.  You get paid and your dog gets sick so now you’ve got a vet bill, then your kid needs supplies for a school project, then someone hits your car in the Walmart parking lot so now you pay that deductible to get it fixed, then the washer stops working so you have to pay for a repairman to come out, etc.  Before you know it, your paycheck is gone and you still have household bills to pay and groceries to buy but you are a single parent.  So, you start to feel very much alone in this game of life.  You may cry out to God but in the midst of the storm, sometimes you need someone who can help you right then, who can stand up with you against the waves.


Don’t miss God’s blessing because it doesn’t show up the way you expect it to.  If you are expecting a yacht to save you from the storm, you might be overlooking a little tugboat.  Yes, a yacht is big, and grand and would make life real easy.  However, tugboats were built to HELP.  Their only job is to help move ships that should not move themselves or ships that cannot move themselves.  They have engines like a locomotive and can pull some very heavy ships to safety.  While you are looking for a larger than life friend to come by and offer you all the help you need, you may be missing the quiet friend who has always been there for you.  You may say that you are alone but this person is always there for you despite the circumstances and he/she has been consistently by your side. You may think that person has nothing to offer to help you because you’ve never asked or because you just never thought of them as a helper in your life.  You may also discount them because you are angry with men and this person is male or you are angry with all women and this person is female.


When you are trying to stand up and catch your breath, does it really matter, in the long run, who helps you as long as you get helped?  The person that emerges in your life to be a helper, may be as strong as a tugboat and may be able to help you move forward or allow you to lean on him/her when necessary.  Like the tugboat’s engine is as big as a locomotive, this person may have a heart just as big. Tugboats are easy to overlook in the midst of big waves and big ships.  They don’t make a lot of noise; they rarely blow their whistles and horns.  So, the tugboat that God sends to help you may be someone that you could easily overlook – someone you’ve gotten comfortable with or someone that you’ve started to take for granted.  So, be conscientious and pay attention because your help may not come in the form of a yacht but in a little tugboat.