I heard a thundering boom. When I leaped from the truck and overheard a friend say, “Where’s Tim?”, my heart leaped out of my chest. As I ran to the edge of the dock, getting ready to jump in and search for my man, Tim came out of the water, from about ten feet from the back of the boat, and must have heard and seen the panic in me. He calmly said, “Here I am. I’m okay.”
You see, the tide was extremely low when we returned from boating with friends. Everyone grabbed their belongings and helped clean the boat. Four friends went ahead and departed for the house, I sat in the backseat of the truck because we were to the normal part of simply raising the boat on the lift and leaving, and three remaining friends were standing by the dock waiting for Tim. Since the tide was tremendously low, Tim decided to pull it up as far as it could go into our slip, and raise it a little until he would return in a couple of hours once the tide began to rise. Tim was in the back of the boat removing the plug, when the back weight of the boat gave way and almost capsized backwards. The motor was submerged for about ten minutes, while the three men pushed/pulled/untangled the boatlift.
My hands were trembling for a while, heart pounding, breaths were deep, and tears followed once alone. I was so proud of my man’s reaction. That could have been a moment of tempers flying and word choices not so pleasing, yet Tim remained calm and focused. Yea, he was frustrated, but his reaction was stellar. He was grateful no one was hurt.
Those three men displayed great teamwork and encouraging camaraderie under pressure. Two neighbors and two of our friends who had already left returned to help. Supportive friends are much appreciated.
Reflecting on the boating incident, one of my favorite scriptures come to mind:
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” Romans 5:3-5
Okay, when comparing strife in life, in our minds, there is just really no comparing. Yet, no matter the degree of difficulty one encounters, God cares. He also desires the same outcome…development of endurance, character, and confident hope.
I pray that you will choose to react in a way that sets you apart from others. Set apart in a way that is pleasing to God. Be a testimony for Him.
Blessings to you and yours. Love, Stephanie
