I got to laughing so hard during my Bible reading today I just had to share. Aren’t there truly times that you feel like God has told you to run around SOME some island. You don’t have a clue why. Not even really sure which island. And run, not walk, not skip, not swim, not lallygag, RUN. Ohhhh Lord, you have me laughing because right now this is exactly what I feel like you are telling me to do, and I am willing…
Truthfully, I could not begin to tell you what my Bible reading was about today. I got way too giggly on the “Nevertheless, we must run around some island” part.
It struck my funny bone.
You can almost hear the sarcasm in the sentence, mainly because of the words “nevertheless” and “some.”
To me, nevertheless means circumstances. Regardless of all the chaos we might have in our lives, God can still (nevertheless) work for us. Yes, the circumstances are there… but nevertheless… God can carry us out of them, help us rise above them. Circumstances are meaningless to God. They are petty excuses for us humans. Poooof, be gone, nevertheless… and on we go in faith. “Nevertheless” s
SOME island. Which island? Does it even matter?? The statement sounds sarcastic to me.
Are we allowed to be sarcastic in our conversations with the Lord?
After hearing from an angel, Paul conveys to the others on the boat that all be will okay. Even in Paul’s circumstances, he can see the NEVERTHELESS. He is hungry, he is on a boat in a storm. There has been damage and loss. So why am I laughing? Certainly, Paul wasn’t in the moment, yet he made a very sarcastic comment, filled with faith.
Okay, how many times do we go through serious things with a serious attitude and then when all is said and done, look back and get the giggles about it? Or maybe the situation becomes so outrageous that right smack dab in the middle of it, we sit down and start laughing.
I have done that a bunch of times. Life gets tough, and messy, and complicated with complexities beyond belief. When the heat of the battle is behind me, I really do find humor in some of the things that God had directly led me through. He put me there, He held my hand through it, and it certainly felt serious at the time.
The last few years have been this way. It has all been way too complicated to explain to anyone. The Lord knows the drama (from me and others) that got me here so I don’t have to do any explaining. But I sure am praying.
Sometimes the prayers don’t even seem enough, so my blunt conversations really do go like, “nevertheless, we must run around some island —- because you told me to, okay, let’s go, but we are doing this together, Lord.”
Yes, truthfully I am being sarcastic in these conversations with the Lord. WHY in tarnation would I have to run around SOME island when I am busy busy busy trying to solve the issues??? Sounds nutty to me but out of obedience, I will run around some island and yes, be a bit sarcastic about it.
My way certainly isn’t working. My efforts aren’t creating results. My logic is fruitless. Even my creativity in the situation is almost useless.
Time to run around some island, simply because God told me to. I can handle that. As long as I get to laugh about how entirely goofy it is.
Okay, so God most likely won’t send me to the Greek Islands as He did Paul, but, through the Holy Spirit, I do know what island He is sending me to.
The Bible does have some really funny stories in it. Some are intended to get our funny bone and others just hit us because we need to smile. We need to laugh at ourselves, not take ourselves so seriously and let God be God.
In case you are curious about the scripture that I found this statement…
21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I servestood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”
~ Acts 27:21-26 (NIV)
Tomorrow I will tackle this part of scripture again with a straight face and see what else I can learn.
Hope you are enjoying reading your Bible,
