Stormy Weather

“Rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:5-6

Oh, the joys of living on a boat. You ever hear the saying “when it rains it pours”? Well, in south Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico that little quote could not be more true. Don’t get me wrong, I like the rain… When all I have to do is sit back and enjoy the sound and smell. That is a very nice and relaxing way to spend an evening. What I don’t like is to have to spend my entire evening, or in this case, the early morning hours cleaning up the mess it made. My boat might be in the water, but I certainly don’t want the water in my boat.

I could go about complaining, but what does complaining ever actually accomplish? Instead, during this little ordeal, I think it really is time to rejoice. I now know that there is a leak in the cabin of my boat, therefore I can find a solution to this problem and reduce the work the next storm brings with it. Also, my bilge pump is dead (this is the pump that automatically pumps excess water out of the boat) which as a result, caused me to have to use the hand pump, another problem that I am now aware of and will be able to fix.

I am writing this because I find it to fit quite nicely into all of those “when a storm rolls into your life” stories, but in a very literal sense.

A storm rolled in. Water found its way in through the unprotected, dare I say neglected areas. I had to work through the middle of the night at containing something that I should have paid more attention to in the first place. The great thing about all of this though is the fact that it helped me identify an area that needed attention. I could apply this very thing to almost any defect I have in my life. It’s those areas I don’t keep guarded where I ultimately struggle.

When you realize you messed up, or failed at something, don’t beat yourself up over it. Be thankful that at the very least you know what needs to be fixed. As the saying goes “knowing is half the battle”.

Next time a storm rolls into your life… Check for leaks, and then fix them!