I've seen little boats at Cape Cod lay useless as a stack of firewood in a Texas summer. At low tide they list to their sides in the wet sand like so much dead weight. They're utterly useless to their owners.

That's where I've been the last few days. Low tide. Maybe not useless (what's the old saying, "you can always serve as a bad example?"), but definitely stuck in the sand. Where do I always go when I want to lament my sorry lot in life (which isn't at all sorry but is tremendously blessed and I know that as I'm thinking it but nonetheless there it is)? King David. Misery does indeed love company. David and I have been hanging out in the cave together. Our cry goes up, "Return, O Lord, deliver my soul!" "Look upon my affliction and rescue me!" "Lord, how long will you look on?" I haven't really been as low as David. My "affliction" is only a mood. But it's interesting how my moods affect the way I read the bible.

When I am caught in the doldrums, I'm more aware of my wretchedness as I read through passages of Scripture. In reading Psalms I don't just skim over David's expressions of pain and desolation to get to the praise passages, I empathize with him and with the human experience of those times in life. I read Proverbs and am convicted of sin in my own life as I read "better to ____ than to ____," rather than clicking my tongue and mentally wagging my finger at "fools" and "mockers." I guess even when the tide is out God can use it to help me scrape a few barnacles off my boat.

The tide always returns like clockwork, though. The little Cape Cod boats bounce back to life, buoyed upright and ready to carry the navigator across the water once again, with the pull of a motor or the turn of a sail. And the voyage resumes.

"Dr. Marvin, I'M SAILING!"
"That's good, KEEP SAILING BOB!"
(from the movie What About Bob)

posted by Joye @ 12:35 PM

4 Comments:

At 8/20/2006 12:54 PM, Schweers' Mom said…

I know how you feel - especially the "how long oh Lord!" I so get that. I'm sorry to hear you are in the doldrums (I got a good visual of that from the movie "Master and Commander").

I will bring the "Zippy" book today at 5 if you will be at church. You will enjoy the levity and laughs it brings.
At 8/20/2006 2:33 PM, Kathy said…

I'm praying your find (once again) the thing that floats your boats. Chocolate seems to help me along with a good dose of laughter and friendship and the hope of Jesus.
At 8/20/2006 4:32 PM, Stacey C said…

and ice cream, don't forget a good heapping of ice cream . . .mmmm. . . . or chocolate . . . . Relax and thing of happytime. Girls night out never hurts!
At 8/20/2006 9:15 PM, Joye said…

Thank you all for the comments. Kathy, you cracked me up with the "floats your boat" comment!

Mike brought me a bag of Mounds candy bars today, so there's my chocolate! Stacey, the girls' night out idea sounds great. I AM going out with Mike Thursday night to see our daughter-in-law in Sweet Charity at Denton Community Theater, that'll be much fun.