Surviving the Flood

There was a man stuck on his roof in a raging flood calmly watching the water rise. Just as the water was streaming over his roof, a boat showed up and offered to rescue him. The man politely denied and said, "It's alright. God will save me."

Almost a half hour later, the water had reached his waist and another boat arrived asking him to jump aboard. He again put forth the response, "I'm ok. God will save me." Soon the water was up to his neck, but he still remained at peace with the situation. All of the sudden, a helicopter appeared and began demanding the man to come with them. However, he once again denied the help and said one last time, "I'm going to be fine. God will save me."

The flood soon claimed the man's life. Upon arriving in heaven, the man stood before God and asked, "Why didn't you save me?"

God replied, "I tried three times. Did you not see the two boats and the helicopter?"

A very close friend shared that with me last night. He went on to explain that the story does a wonderful job summarizing how God has always been at work in his life. He said he simply didn't recognize all the ways God was trying to save him from his past reckless lifestyle. He continued to tell me how grateful he was the he didn't drown and now keeps his heart open to all the different ways God reaches out to him.

After reflecting on that conversation, I was able to identify the same trend in my life. It is absolutely crazy to think about all the chances God gave me to escape the flood of my past. It is even more insane to think about how many times I denied his help. However, God never gave up on me, and I am so thankful that he kept my head above water.

I have learned that no matter how challenging something may be, God will always provide the strength to overcome. I have also learned that it is up to me to ask for and accept his help. He may not always send us blessing the way we expect it, but as long as we seek his love and compassion, I have faith we will find it in everything we do.