Why Is Nothing Happening?

I was recently on a ferry crossing the Pamlico Sound. The boat was traveling in the same direction and about the same speed as the breeze blowing from behind us. The sensation was that of dead calm. It was a hot day, and I was baking on deck, wishing for a breeze. The thought went through my mind, “I wish the captain would turn the boat into the wind so we could get some relief”, and then it hit me. How many times have I turned the ship of my life to a course that no longer takes me toward God’s desired destination as I seek to have my senses and selfish desires satisfied? How many times have I convinced myself that no progress is being made in my life, simply because I am uncomfortable and don’t have those sensations I require as evidence of progress or success.

Standing on the deck of that boat, I decided to change my focus. I moved my attention from the searing heat to the sound of waves splashing hard against the bow as the boat pushed forward. I looked at the giant wakes rolling out from each side of the boat and the foam boiling up behind us as the propeller churned us forward. Suddenly, the sensation of miserable staleness was replaced by a sense of great forward motion and progress. The reality that we were speeding on course to our destination became so much stronger than the deceptive feeling of standing still.

Guys, resist the urge to change the course of your life simply because you feel nothing is happening. Don’t turn from God’s plan to chart a course that may feel more exciting and more satisfying. Instead, change your focus. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the signs of progress, growth, and maturity you are experiencing in great measure. Though it feels you are dead in the water, look for the wake the ship of your life is rolling across the lives of those with whom you work and live. You will suddenly see, you are doing anything but sitting still. Stay the course, fight the good fight, and don’t be deceived by the fleshly desires that fog reality. He who started something in you will complete it (Philippians 1:6). Of that you can be certain!

Most Recent Posts by Mike Hartsfield

• Heroes Do Not Apply! - June 2nd, 2009
• Why Am I Illogically Irrational? - May 26th, 2009
• I Don’t Know Why I Am Afraid! - May 19th, 2009
• Is That What I Said? - April 14th, 2009
• I Mean What I Do, Not What I Say - March 31st, 2009
• Hold On To The Boat - March 17th, 2009