WHAT TO DO WITHOUT A SAIL, ENGINE, RUDDER OR PADDLE
For the past couple of weeks Hans and Miseron have been doing some little holiday projects which means glue + nails + noise + sawdust = a big mess Mamma has to clean up. But then again, I couldn't wait to get in and add to the mess too.
The other day, well actually yesterday being our Show Day Public Holiday in Cairns, it was a day to just hang and do whatever in the Batzke household because that's how we roll on a public holiday.
Reflecting back to what I learnt at high school and at Art College in the early 1980's, I had my design criteria all worked out. By mid afternoon I started to get into the swing of things with the renovator, glue and no little man to disturb me. It was one of those craft afternoons where I just allowed things to evolve with the saw, glue and wood.
I decided I was going to make a sail boat out of wood for Miseron. So off went the sawing, renovator, mind thinking and thinking then some more gluing and sanding. After the final sanding by hand and a quick stain with coffee the project was all done and dusted by 9:30pm Friday night.
One unique feature about this boat was it had no sails, no engine, no rudder or paddle -yes it turned out the boat I made Miseron was a 15cm Yodie Batzke interpretation of Noah's Ark.
Proud as punch, I showed Hans who was also still up doing some work on the computer. He smiled and said to me in a loving voice. "nothing like doing a bit of therapy late at night."
You are probably wondering where is Yodie going with this? It wasn't until Miseron had a chance to play with his new boat the next day the answer hit me like a big MACK Truck. Our little 6 year old man with the insight of a 26 year old man said, "Mum did you know Noah's ark could only be moved by the waves and currents made by Jesus because it had no engine."
Now for those who are not familiar with the dimensions of Noah's Ark, in Genesis 6:15 the bible tells us the Ark's dimensions were at least 135 metres long, 22.5 metres wide and 13.5 metres high. In feet its dimensions would have been 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.
Yes a huge vessel with no sails, no diesel engine, no steam engine, no rudder or paddles. No charts, no navigational equipment, and no one in the Ark including Noah knew nothing about how to navigate the seas at night by the stars, let alone understanding how to read and follow the ocean currents and how to ride the waves.
All Noah had to do was be obedient and build the Ark according the way the Lord wanted him to do make it no matter what came his way during the construction and after its completion before the rain fell.
Hello, my 48 year old invisible light bulb was now flashing and flickering like a short circuited street light. I looked at Hans and I said, " Hun the penny just dropped, the design Lord gave Noah when he instructed him to build the ark, was not only about saving 8 righteous individuals and the various land animals and birds of the air, it was to show the Lord was in total control of Noah, his families and animal's destiny and all he had to do was be obedient."
Life lesson on Noah and the Ark: Sometimes in our journey things may seem to be huge like an Ark and in our own efforts we are trying to control or steer the outcome in a certain direction yet we have 'no sail', 'no engine', 'no rudder or paddle.'
If you have an ARK and think you know how to control what direction your ARK is going in, then you are really up the creek with no paddle. This is the time you need to trust and exercise some ARK size faith in God over your rudderless circumstances.
Looking back at some of the many Arks we tried to control, I realised if we only allowed God to be God, the outcome would have been different and less painful. But thank goodness we can learn from our mistakes.
Jeremiah 29:10-11 (NLT)
This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good an not for disaster, to give you future and hope.
Think about the Arks you were asked to build and it suddenly went in the wrong direction, all because you did not yield fully by allowing God through the Holy Spirit to be your rudder, engine or navigator.
How would you respond next time around?
