We have answers. We know about the Family of God, the plan of salvation, and the ultimate purpose for all humankind, but what about our special calling as members of the Body of Christ? Do we really appreciate the knowledge we have and the impression it can make on those we encounter each day?
We need to pause and think about the understanding we have been privileged to receive. Are we able to verbalize the hope we have within us? Do we have it internalized? “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…,” (1 Peter 3:15).
There are those in the world around us who are seeking answers to the most basic questions in life: What is my purpose? Will I have life after death? Why do bad things happen?
Will they see us and choose to ask us these fundamental questions? If we project an anxious, depressed, or angry outlook, how can we be a source of hope? Do we live our lives in a way that shows those around us that we have real hope?
In 1952, Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the channel between Catalina Island and the California Coast near Los Angeles. A distance of 21 miles. It was a foggy day and the water was frigid. Surrounded by men in boats armed with rifles to scare off the sharks, Chadwick was nonetheless in excellent physical condition and made progress for 15 hours. However, despite shouts of encouragement that the shore was near, all she could see was water and fog. She began to look within herself instead of beyond. Doubt and fear crept in.
Florence Chadwick gave up. Only later did she find out that she was only one half mile from the shore. She later told the press, “If only I could have seen land, I might have made it.”
Losing sight of the goal, her determination had collapsed. She later tried again and, at last, made it because she was resolved to keep the shoreline firmly set in her mind.
I remember my baptism. Cold water in a horse trough in which I began the most important journey of my life. The sharks were nipping at my heels almost immediately in the form of family, friends, and employers who didn’t agree with my decision. There were times I wanted to give up, but then I came to see that I was focused on myself and not on the big picture.
This is common to everyone, we swim a while, tread water and go with the flow which pulls us away from the shoreline. That’s when we must draw on our commitment and resolve to swim against the current, keeping our eyes on the goal, even when Satan tries to throw up a smoke screen or banks of fog.
The Apostle Peter had to learn this lesson. When he took his eyes off of Christ and onto himself, he began to sink.
“And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’
“So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’
“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ ” (Matthew 14:28-31).
The shoreline to which we look is the truth of God, the Kingdom of God, the purpose to which God has called us. It doesn’t move; it is a constant. We drift only when we lose sight of it. God called us, gave us His Holy Spirit, and opened our eyes to understand and have access to this most incredible goal. We must set our determination to let nothing blur our focus.
We are not in this swim alone. At one with Christ and His body, the Church, with everyone supporting and helping and praying for one another we are swimming together.
As the world continues to spiral downward, the hope that lies within us will become more and more evident. We will be calm in the face of difficulties, we will not be afraid, we will be a stabilizing force in our families and communities, we will continue to work, to grow. The fruit we produce in our lives and in the way we lovingly care for others will stand out in this cold, cruel world.
The peace we live in and give to others will be something that isn’t easily understood. People will want to know why we are so hopeful. They will want answers. And as that happens, let’s be thankful because we have the answers they seek!
Feast of Tabernacles
We now have official confirmation of two Feast sites for 2017. One is the Residence Inn in Oxnard as we have had previously. The other is a new site in Bentonville, Arkansas. The site we used last year in Granbury, Texas was not available to us for 2017 but a good deal has opened up with the Four Points Sheraton in Bentonville. The Sheraton also runs an adjacent hotel, the Baymont and we have been offered reasonable room rates in that hotel as well.
We will assemble all the details and post them on the website soon.
Ken Vail
