My Paisley Chair

It was quite a long boat ride to the island we loved, where we could anchor at the pass to Perdido Key. It was lunch time when we anchored on the island and I was more than ready to eat our picnic, because being on the water always makes me extra hungry. Besides that, picnic lunches always taste better when your hair is blowing in the salt air and the smell of sun tan lotion lingers in the wind.

With lunch put away, it definitely felt like a nap was in order. However, when you are out with your besties, no one wants to waste time sleeping when there is so much to be enjoyed, so we blew up the floats. With a fresh soda in hand we positioned ourselves atop our floats – alternating head to toe so we could carry on with our conversations while holding on to a rope that was draped over the 4 of us and secured to the boat.

We pushed out into the (not so deep) water of the inlet. Not a care in the world, floating with friends, conversations spanning the globe and sharing dreams and goals. Fellowship this sweet is definitely a gift from God. So enjoyable was the afternoon that we lost track of time.

We also lost track of something else. Totally unaware that our anchor rope had broken, we had floated (while still secured to the boat) into the shipping traffic channel. Not until a barge operator concerned for our safety, and his liability exposure, blew his fog horn did we realize the danger we were in.

I guarantee the 4 of us had never moved so fast! Had I not been wet, I would have assumed I had walked on water! We scrambled up the ladder of the boat. Once on top of the boat we could see the last of our party being surrounded by a smack (not school – I looked it up) of jellyfish that were gaining on him.

This story is comical to us now and a memory we enjoy recounting. But at the time we all knew it was “but for the grace of God” that we came out of that scenario unscathed. I am thankful for the fog horn that jolted us into action. 

My life application today is this:

• How quickly can I find myself in a place I never intended to be?
• Could momentary carelessness derail my destiny, except for Christ’s divine intervention?
• With my focus on others by comparison – am I safe? I was in the same place as my friends, just as close to the boat as I had always been. But I was adrift from my Anchor!
• What if there had only been a whisper instead of a fog horn?

While Christ is our Shield and Defender and will hedge us in when danger is about – we must also take responsibility for being alert and attentive to our circumstances. When we take our eyes off of Christ and focus our attention on people or circumstances, the tendency is to drift.  Vigilant diligence has never been more necessary in our walk with the Lord. We serve at the pleasure of the King of the Universe and the goal is to be at the right place, at the right time, ready for His use.

Fix your eyes upon Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We have this hope as an anchor for our soul! 2 Cor 10:12, Hebrews 12:2, Hebrews 6:17-19