How I Left the Island of Desperation (again)

Leaning against the pillows propped against the headboard, feeling cozy in the slippers the cool morning required, I sipped chai, savoring the sweetness and trying to slow the pounding in my head. The anger, the helplessness, the weariness, the never-endingness makes a storm inside some days. Nevermind the swirling chaos of life on the outside. Life kinda makes a girl want to hide away in a hole somewhere, never to emerge again. While contemplating which hole I'd be packing for, my getaway plans were interrupted by the soft nudge of another option.

SS Gratitude was departing for quieter waters and I had a second to decide if I were flailing myself onto the deck of her ship or remaining behind on the Island of Desperation. Like any out-of-shape, frumpy, middle aged mom would do, I imagined myself as Wonder Woman in tights, leaped from the end of the dock with a squeal of a prayer, and landed flat on my face, no worse for the wear.

As I began to look out over the horizon of these days, I was shut up in awe by the many ways my God has been placing evidence of His with-me-ness every step of the way. No, my circumstances are not improving; no, there never seems to be an end to this journey; no I don't think I can keep going on. BUT yes, I have cried out for provision and He has answered; yes, I am fully depleted but He keeps seeing me through; yes, goodness sparkles like light on the black of our lives. 

To hide away in a hole for the rest of my days seems easier and far more appealing, but braving the leap on the SS Gratitude allows me to see the stun-you-silent, breathtaking places only found in the midst of hard places. Easy isn't better. Hard becomes beautiful when left with God.

Whatever you face today, listen for the call of the SS Gratitude. Grab a mug of your favorite drink, lean back, take a deep breath and look hard at the good surrounding you. Thank your God. In the thanking your seas become calmer, your heart becomes braver, your mind becomes stronger.