Dead in the Water…
Dead in the water… Stranded… The cotter pin sheered… The propeller is sinking… Slowly, down through the clear water… Down to the bottom of the lake.
Our baby is overdue and we are stranded in the middle of Lake Meade, far from shore. What were we thinking? It was an insane idea! But it was a hot day, late in June and the offer of a boat ride out on the lake was too inviting to refuse. Thus, there we were—dead in the water!
Have you ever felt—dead in the water? Life’s “emergencies” are pressing in on you, but you sit hopelessly—dead in the water! As in a fog, you fulfill the necessary obligations of life, but inside you are—dead in the water! You rehearse in your mind the goals and aspirations you once thought were within reach. But they spin downward, and you remain—dead in the water! Yes, they were challenging and demanding, but you felt equal to them. Now they follow that propeller slowly to the bottom of your lake. With each passing day, they sink lower, more out of reach than the previous, until the darkness of the depths completely obliterates the positive thoughts that once surrounded that vision—dead in the water!
Then, with Jonah: “From the depths, I cried out to the Lord. I went down to the foundations of the mountains. The depths closed in around me. My head (thoughts) were tangled in the seaweeds (of despair)! I was imprisoned in the depths of the earth. As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. It is God who snatched me from the jaws of death.” (cf. Jonah 2:5-7)
For a full (cute) understanding of Jonah’s story, you must listen to Mary Margaret’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4VrujheblY
