One day Gilligan ventures off as usual into the jungle. After a few hours the Skipper knows Gilligan's absent-minded behavior, gets a little worried and goes trotting off looking for him. After a while the Skipper hears Gilligan's squeaky voice in the distance yelling, "SKIPPER, SKIPPER, SKIPPER HELP!!!!"
The Skipper follows his voice and finds Gilligan stuck in a quicksand pit with only his head showing above the surface. As usual Gilligan has got himself in a mess that only the Skipper can get him out of. The Skipper looks in disgust, yet with a feeling of no surprise and reluctances pulls Gilligan out from the pit. However, not without being tempted to leave his sorry little skinny self in there. However, here is what we didn't see.
While Gilligan was yelling for the Skipper to rescue him, the boy thrashed around swinging his arms and reaching for anything that could get him to a more solid foundation. But, the more he yells, and the more he thrashes he sinks faster and further downward into the pit until he is up to his neck in thick mud. He physically can't move his body from the shoulders down. So needless to say, Gilligan is forced to stop moving and consequently he stops sinking and buys more time in order for the Skipper to come rescue him from the quicksand pit.
The moral of the story is this: Each one of us has at one time or another found ourselves in a state of mind like our friend Gilligan. We struggle in the quicksands of life's experiences We get lost from God, bound by Satan's lies and we cry out for help. "Oh God, please help me with this situation. We don't hear from God on in our time frame so we think God is not hearing us. So what do we do then? We yell louder, we thrash around more by complaining, getting angry with others and we grow impatient with God. We might even take on the attitude, "I'll figure out a way to get out of this on my own, thank you very much."
All the while we keep sinking down, down and down. Then, when everything has surrounded us and we have a chokehold of life around our necks we find ourselves having a feeling of being paralyzed, weighted down with life's burdens and feelings of hopelessness.
But miraculously this is about the time God tends to show up, so we think. We finally have been forced to stop trying to do it ourselves; our arms and self-centered attitudes have been beaten down to the point of total emotional exhaustion. We feel we just can't do this alone and we decide that our prideful nature has gotten the best of us, and our way is really getting us nowhere. It is only then, that we become still in our hearts and start to listen for that quiet voice of God, who really has been there all along. When God sees this he reaches out his hand and pulls us out to safety and strengthens us with peace once again. Hopefully, by our own experiences in life we learn from this old boy Gilligan; living for another episode of life taking us that much closer into the presents of God.
Points to Ponder: Are you growing impatient with God about something in your life? Are you not trusting him enough and have the attitude that you can do it yourself? Do you hear God's still quiet voice speaking to your heart, but avoiding it?
The Challenge: This week take your worries, write them down on paper. (Be specific) crumple the paper in your hands and throw it in the trashcan. This will be a symbol of you trusting God to pull you out of your quicksand pit. The key is to leave them in the trash. If you don't God can't help you according to his word. We live by faith not by sight!
Greg Ryan is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT series. A powerful five step plan to better your life, get healthier, and have more energy! For FREE mini Course click here! http://www.resolutions.bz
apartment cleaning near Highland Park ..Michael Shermer speaks with the energy and passion of an... Read More
Are you facing some challenges in your life right now?... Read More
About a month ago I opened up my bible in... Read More
It's strange how my life today looks wildly different from... Read More
Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More
As we go through life we all have to deal... Read More
Some of my greatest teachers have taught me that faith... Read More
During moments of helplessness, there is always one thing that... Read More
Life is like an obstacle course in which we run... Read More
Is life challenging you to take a bigger leap? Are... Read More
In the responsibility we have as Christians, we are displayed... Read More
Five verses specify that we are to live by faith.... Read More
New Age Spirituality is all about getting back your power.... Read More
Lonely Song"a box of paints - lament for my da"It... Read More
Existence of God: facts and figures Does God exist?If you... Read More
The human nature means the soul and the body. A... Read More
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my... Read More
The word "gravity" is a word coined by Sir Isaac... Read More
'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom... Read More
"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught... Read More
The Bible tells us that we must be led by... Read More
Imagine yourself marooned on a vast deserted island. You have... Read More
One cannot ask why bad things happen to good people... Read More
The question isn't, "Is there life after death."Rather, the question... Read More
Those living on the highest levels of life have learned... Read More
cleaning lady near Arlington Heights ..If you spend a hundred bucks and buy the right... Read More
Aristotle referred to happiness as the most we can achieve.... Read More
One day Gilligan ventures off as usual into the jungle.... Read More
I cringed lower into the seat of my grey metal... Read More
We are the beneficiaries of the promise God made to... Read More
The dictionary defines the word forgive as: [to pardon, as... Read More
"It's a big challenge. It's a journey into the unknown.... Read More
"Everything in the universe is a pitcher brimming with wisdom... Read More
Ok, let's start with the amazing story of Robbie and... Read More
It has long been surmised that emotional trauma can lead... Read More
You know that the Bible tells us a lot about... Read More
Have you ever experienced a traumatic event? I'm sure the... Read More
I am beginning a journey starting tomorrow. I have decided... Read More
Echo was a flea-bitten gray horse, with brown speckles everywhere,... Read More
I would like to tell you the story of a... Read More
I seemed to have lost my heart. Now this is... Read More
Most forms of psychotherapy I know either tries to help... Read More
My favorite scripture is Roman's 8:28. "And we know that... Read More
Many consider anger a normal human emotion and continue to... Read More
The smart 'spiritual' answer is 'you always get what you... Read More
Animal spirit totems can be viewed in different ways according... Read More
1. The name Uriel means "Light of God" or "Flame... Read More
Some people go to physics and spiritual readers for advice... Read More
One of the most frightening things... Read More
IS FAITH - NOT VITAMIN C WHAT'S MISSING FROM YOUR... Read More
Spirituality |