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
best cleaning company Highland Park ..For some of us, EVERY DAY IS HALLOWEEN!!! If you... Read More
I have almost died twice in my life. The first... Read More
Can two walk together unless they have agreed to do... Read More
I said something last week I haven't said in years.... Read More
In the make-believe world, too, fiction and films are filled... Read More
As I listen with pastors and preachers in the body... Read More
The normal Aquarian preoccupation with rational science is clearly seen... Read More
Once you become saved and born again, the Bible tells... Read More
You decide! We are often asked to make decisions. Decision... Read More
I'm not sure Paul had the Japanese culture in mind... Read More
This article is the 1st part of an open response... Read More
Did you ever see something go wrong around you and... Read More
If we don't behave according to a specific church's doctrine,... Read More
Someone asked me the other day what was the most... Read More
We want to hear from God so that we may... Read More
How many of us rush blindly through our days, fall... Read More
Heaven is a place of abundance and earth is a... Read More
In His graciousness, God has blessed us to enter a... Read More
God poetry is one of my favorite genres, although I... Read More
Acknowledgement of our need of God and reliance upon Him... Read More
In the movie "Forest Gump" we see Forest succeed in... Read More
Let me explain my approach to the practice of ritual.... Read More
"If you can't dance with the devil You will never... Read More
New Age Spirituality is all about getting back your power.... Read More
We've all heard the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as... Read More
high-end home cleaning Winnetka ..God poetry is one of my favorite genres, although I... Read More
Sometimes showing up for life can seem like a major... Read More
Have you ever experienced a traumatic event? I'm sure the... Read More
The lighter side of Tarot deals with games played using... Read More
We have to go through some unfortunate experiences sometimes in... Read More
Be filled with the Spirit.? always giving thanks to God... Read More
Tea-totalling Texans? Them's fightin' words!I live in a small Texas... Read More
Today is the day that I'm getting back into exercise.... Read More
Karen was the name of the reception person, who sat... Read More
As a child growing up, whenever I was worried about... Read More
Spiritual healing of the sick in Christ has many Christians... Read More
One of my favorite movies is "The Green Mile". A... Read More
People engaged in kissing experience information and energy transfer, although... Read More
Enlightenment can come in an instant or it may take... Read More
Whadda ya know?Seriously. With absolute certainty, what do you know?... Read More
Self-actualization comes down to three basic premises: this is who... Read More
I still remember the scene vividly. I was getting out... Read More
I am not enlightened, and yet,... Read More
Welcome to the GOD 1.0 Tech Support Page. GOD 1.0... Read More
If you've been on a conscious spiritual journey for any... Read More
The world's idea of justice and freedom fall short of... Read More
We desire to understand the world by giving names to... Read More
Rabbi Kushner in his book "When Bad Things Happen to... Read More
The still place is the beginning. Settle in there, ask... Read More
Perhaps one of the most wonderful assertions that can be... Read More
Spirituality |