Shipwrecked

About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near. They took soundings and found the water was only 120 feet deep. A little later they sounded again and found only 90 feet. At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the prow. But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, "You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard." So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the boat fall off. As the darkness gave way to the early morning light, Paul begged everyone to eat. "You haven't touched food for two weeks," he said. "Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish." Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. Then everyone was encouraged, and all 276 of us began eating--for that is the number we had aboard. After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard. When morning dawned, they didn't recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get between the rocks and get the ship safely to shore. So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. (Acts 27:27-40 NLV).

Sometimes the holidays can be the toughest time of the year. Since the holidays are traditionally celebrated with family and friends, when there are storms in our relationships, things are not the same. We can learn a great deal during these times.

In our reading this morning, there is a recounting of an episode in the life of the Apostle Paul. He and some others were sailing when a violent storm called a Nor'easter came up. At first they fought the fierce winds, but soon they found that they could not face them, so they gave way to them and let themselves be driven along. As they were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo in order to lighten the load. As time passed, they tossed the ship's tackle overboard. Finally, they lost their way and their hope as days passed without being able to see even the sun or the stars. The stars, of course, were the means by which they navigated the ship. Paul counseled the others to take courage and also to take nourishment because, he said, "This is your preservation." They had not eaten for many days. After eating they were strengthened. Then they threw out the wheat to make their load even lighter. When they began to see that the ship was running aground, they cut off the anchors and put up the sails and headed for the finally visible shore. Although the ship itself was wrecked, every one of them reached the shore safely. If you are being assaulted by adverse relational winds, I encourage you to heed the lessons in this story:

1) When the winds become too great, stop resisting their force. The greatest pain sometimes is in the resisting.
2) Begin casting overboard things of less significance in order to preserve the thing of greater value. Things of less significance might include your pride, your rights, your hurt feelings or unforgiveness. These might be keeping you from reconciliation with another person or they might even be keeping you from being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and finding the peace He brings. This might even be the first step in finding reconciliation with significant others.
3) Take nourishment. This nourishment in our case would be spiritual nourishment, which is the Word of God and prayer. As Paul told his fellow passengers, "This is your preservation."

More than any other time, Christmas is a time for making room for the Prince of Peace whose birth we are celebrating.