The day the sail broke

So here is another story of how good God has been to me. Many times blessings come our way and so used to them that we often forget them, especially when hard times come.

I recall the following happening during an island-wide tour I had in Jamaica. My dad took the family on an all-island trip. We stopped at a beach and honestly I don't remember which it was. But I remember while everyone settled on the beach, with my parents' permission I joined a group of tourists on a yacht, with the captain, to sail out to sea.

This was a first for me at the time so I was very excited. As we sailed out, I could see my parents and sister shrinking to the size of ants. It was amazing, and as soon as I could not see them anymore, my attention moved towards the sea ahead.

Sometimes all I could see was a wall of water all around as if we were being flushed down a giant drain, but it was okay, the captain said. That was when everything changed: the sail broke, which made it impossible for the captain to control the yacht.

For the first time in my life I understood my mortality. I had never had to think about a life-or-death situation before but that day I understood that this could be it. Being so helpless, there was nothing I could do to save myself. There was no one but God I could call on for help.

Many times when we are faced with situations where we realize that we are surrounded by a wall of water, the challenges of life. and we have lost all control, we forget that God is still in control, even when situations don't make sense.

Fred Hammond reminds us that God has always been with us even when we have forgotten His past blessings, and when we live in fear of tomorrow. Even during bad times we must keep praising instead of complaining: not because of the pain, but because we know the One who is in control, and He knows what is best for us.

With a life of trust and gratitude we keep praising not only in the good times but also during the hard times.

So while we kept on drifting away from the beach, no one but us understood our situation. Many looking from the beach thought we were fine but we knew that we were in danger, and we could not tell them because they would not be able to hear or understand us.

Life can sometimes can give us those moments when we are not able to communicate our need for help to others and, even when we try, no one understands while others may judge.

Well, the fact that I am sharing this testimony tells you that there was a happy ending: a lifeguard boat spotted us from a distance, saw the broken sail, and immediately came to our rescue.

That is how God is towards us, always understanding our need, and even when we may not it, He knows and is working it out. It might not be in our timing or our way, but God knows best and for this reason we must trust Him.