Broke Down on the Way to Hopetown

Psalm 33:20-22 "We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone."

The six of us walked down the pier and loaded up into the twenty foot boat in order to head the fifteen miles across the bay to Hopetown, Bahamas, where we could get the groceries that we would need for the weeklong stay that we were just beginning.  My nephew, Dax, fired off the 115 horsepower outboard motor on the boat that had been dry-docked for six months or longer and we slowly scooted away from the pier.

Once we hit deeper water, Dax put the hammer down and we swiftly gained speed.  The boat began to crash against the rough waves that were driven by a steady wind that we headed into as we blew past catamarans and boats of all sizes.  We entered open water and continued to race in the direction of Hopetown.

All of a sudden, the boat died!  My nephew began to frantically try to restart the motor from his position at the helm but it was no use.  We had an obvious electrical malfunction and had lost all power on the craft.

We floated helplessly in the middle of the large bay, driven only by the force of the wind.  It seemed like about ten minutes passed before we noticed a small boat heading across the bay.  Kim and I stood up and waved towels over our heads so that they might notice us drifting aimlessly.

After several minutes of flapping our towels, the craft finally changed direction and headed straight toward us!  Thank God, they had seen us!  We watched as the small boat carrying two men slowly crept up beside us.  We told the men of our plight and they hastily agreed to tow us back to the house where we were staying.

In a matter of minutes, we had ropes secured and began the slow journey back to our home dock, pulled by a much smaller boat with a motor less than one-third the size of the dead motor on our boat.

I couldn't help but ponder what Jesus said in the Gospel of Luke 13:29-30, "And people will come from all over the world– from east and west, north and south– to take their places in the Kingdom of God.  And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then. "

I know that I considered the little boat that tugged us pretty important at the time!  I was certainly happy that they had seen us in our distress and come to our aid.  Come to find out, the two gentlemen who dragged our boat were just returning from Hopetown, where they had been to purchase supplies.

Hmmmm.  Maybe there's a moral to this story.  Maybe as we journey through this life looking for our Hopetown, we shouldn't get caught up with the size of our boat or the power of our motor, but rather we should be willing servants traveling in whatever vessel that the Lord has given to us.

Maybe we should be content with what we have and willing to share our good fortune with others who may need a helping hand.  Maybe then we can make it to Hopetown without breaking down.  Maybe we can help others to prepare for their own journey to Hopetown.

When we made it to our dock, we thanked the Good Samaritans, who wouldn't allow us to compensate them for their time and trouble.  May we go forth and do the same as God gives us the opportunity and the ability.  To God be the glory!