Stranded!

Last night we were in a boat on Atwood Lake in eastern Ohio, headed out to enjoy a quiet dusk evening. We had stopped in the middle of the lake and I shut the engine off.

After about 10 minutes, I needed to turn the engine on and move the boat a bit since we were drifting. That's when it started.

The engine wouldn't turn over. I turned the key, and all I heard was a quiet hum. No engine kicking in. No sign of life from the engine.

I waited a minute or two. The result was the same.

I checked the battery connection. It was fine. Nothing appeared to have changed from a few minutes earlier. But no engine.

So there we were, a big, silver, glorified flotation device. We were at the whim of the breeze that was gently nudging us across the lake.

By this time the sun had set completely and the reflection from the lights on the shore was about all the light we had. Night had come and there didn't seem to be any other boats on the lake.

Then in the distance we saw the lights. They came closer and closer. I flashed the flashlight and they flashed back. But as they started to pass we realized they didn't know we were in distress, so we started yelling. Then they figured out we were in trouble and pulled up next to us.

After listening to our engine and figuring out it was probably the starter that had gone bad (for the record, I am pretty clueless about these kinds of things), they tied our boat to their boat and started to tow us across the lake. The trip seemed like it took forever, but the longer it lasted, the more I began to admire the sky. I could see stars I normally don't see at home and even recognized a part of the Milky Way.

After about thirty minutes, we arrived at our location and floated into our dock with the help of a few fishermen who happened to be fishing on the dock where we had to park the boat. We went back into the house and enjoyed the Olympics.

There are a few things I was reminded of on this trip.

God will often use the most unlikely people in our lives to help us on the journey. A random boat passing by and a few fishermen were the only difference between us sleeping in our beds and floating on the lake most of the night.

Life will sometimes throw us a curve. We need to roll with it and enjoy the ride. I never really felt like I panicked, even though I was concerned. Life is too short to get that bent out of shape about situations that aren't life-threatening.

Finally, I was reminded that in the midst of darkness, there is always a light waiting to rescue us. Just like the boat passing in the night, God is present in our lives, even in times of darkness. One difference is that while the people on the boat didn't know we needed their help, God always knows. But sometimes He waits for us to call out to Him. Whether it's waiting for us to ask or waiting for us to acknowledge our need, God wants to be the light in the darkness that leads us home.

A lot of us spend time just floating through life. Sometimes we even find ourselves floating in the darkness. When we feel stranded, we should always remember that God wants to meet us in the midst of our trouble and take us into the light. Often we just have to be willing to throw Him the rope and follow where He leads.

shine!
Jason