Two couples.
Eight children-9 and under.
(Five of them belonged to me.)
We were in an aluminum boat, late in the afternoon.
It had been a great day and we were having a wonderful time, but I was keeping a close eye on the storm clouds in the distance, until finally I said, "Burt, (his name has been changed to protect his innocent wife) those clouds don't look very good and they are coming this way. Don't you think we should head home?"
To which "Burt" responded, "Oh, come on! Where is your faith?" And I responded, something to the effect... "I have great faith and it never fails me, but God also gave me common sense. Now get us off of this lake."
Burt wasn't very happy with me, but at that point I was much more interested in getting my babies out of danger than I was in what he thought or how he felt. Good Grief! That was the last times I put our lives in his hands. (I guess I lost ALL faith in him that day!)
Maybe you've heard this joke?
A religious man is on top of a roof during a great flood. A man comes by in a boat and says "get in, get in!" The religous man replies, " no I have faith in God, he will grant me a miracle."
Later the water is up to his waist and another boat comes by and the guy tells him to get in again. He responds that he has faith in God and God will give him a miracle. With the water at about chest high, another boat comes to rescue him, but he turns down the offer again cause "God will grant him a miracle."
With the water at chin high, a helicopter throws down a ladder and they tell him to get in, mumbling with the water in his mouth, he again turns down the request for help for the faith of God. He arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith and says to Peter, I thought God would grant me a miracle and I have been let down." St. Peter chuckles and responds, "I don't know what you're complaining about, we sent you three boats and a helicopter."
So here's what I'm pondering...and it all started with the incident at the Indiana State Fair when, what was described as "an ominous cloud" rolled in, bringing high winds that caused an outdoor stage to collapse killing a number of people. Of course, in the aftermath, there were all kinds of investigations being launched and probably some hefty lawsuits. In the days that followed the question was asked, "Why didn't those in authority warn or demand that the audience flee to safety?"
And my question is, "What has happened to the common sense God gave us?" My faith never leaves me, but common sense certainly kicks into high gear when there is an alarm, impending danger or ominous clouds. When did the American public become so thoroughly dependent on those in authority/the government warning us about every possible danger in life that we can no longer look out for our own safety or our family's? Or...for that matter, why do we expect God to do what we should be doing in the first place, take advantage of the opportunities to save ourselves instead of expecting... I don't even know what that guy in the flood was expecting God to do!
I could go on and on, but I have faith that you know exactly what I'm talking about. Trust God to deliver you when you can't help yourself, but for the love of God, when there's an ominous cloud in the sky, for heaven's sake GET OUT OF THE BOAT!
Proverbs 4:7 "Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment."
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