JUST A THOUGHT
I once heard a story about a terrible storm that hit a small coastal village. People boarded up their homes, hoping to protect the memories inside. The thunder roared above while lightening put on a light show that would make most rock performances jealous. Of course, the rain fell like a river from the sky, while the wind howled with rage. Being a coastal ocean town, this also meant that the tides were higher than usual even during the night.
The next day a visitor to the town went to the beach to take pictures. Being from the middle of the country, they never knew what it was like to experience a hurricane. Most of the town was cleaning up and taking the boards from their respective windows and doors. While walking, the visitor saw a person in the distance while stepping around thousands of Starfish trapped on land. The high tides caused marine life to get stuck on the sand once the water subsided. Although they can move on the sand, Starfish are not very fast, and many birds made meals of some, and the light of a midday Sun dried out others. The visitor continued to take pictures, amazed at the colorful little echinoderms covering the beach, and saw that the person was a little boy tossing some of the Starfish into the Ocean. Step after step, the young man kept throwing them back in the water. The visitor thought this was interesting and ran to catch the young man.
The boy looked up and saw the man with a smile on his face, threw a few more Starfish into the Ocean, and then waved. “I’m curious,” the visitor said. “I see that you’re tossing the Starfish into the ocean to save them.”
"That would be correct sir,” the boy responded.
“But you can’t save them all,” the visitor said.
“True,” the young boy responded and picked up a beautiful Starfish with iridescent colors. The little feet under the Starfish was feeling and tickling the young man’s hands as it searched for familiar territory and food. “But for this one,” the boy said and tossed the animal into the Ocean, “it means another day to live.”
Many people in the world sometimes get caught up in the storms of life. The tides of problems, calamities, issues, financial situations, health sickness, and so much more can cause people to wash ashore into a place where they need help. Sure, over time, they can get back where they need to be, but the time it takes might take too long. But God, who is personal and loving, takes the time to place us quickly to where we need to be. God is personal and loving and desires to save everybody. Just like the boy had the visitor to help, so does God have us to support those in need. He is a personal God.
