'ROW, ROW, ROW, YOUR BOAT!"

  I cannot begin to count the number of times I have watched the movie the "African Queen!"  You know the one with Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn?  It was on television again tonight, so I was once again drawn into its story.  I watched as these two people braved the rapids, dealt with the breakdown of the motor, were bothered by swarms of mosquitoes at the shore, became tangled in the channel of reeds and leeches, and then finally stuck in the mud. In fact "Rosie", who is played by Audrey Hepburn, is on her knees in the boat and prays:  "Dear Lord, We've come to the end of our journey, and in a little while we'll stand before you. I pray for you to be merciful. Judge us not for our weaknesses, but for our love and open the doors of heaven for Charlie and me."   A real tear jerking moment in the movie!


They are both exhausted so they lie down in the boat thinking that this is the end. Then the camera begins to pan out and you see that they are only 100 yards away from their final destination! I remember the first time I saw it, I wanted to scream into the television..."Don't give up! You're almost there!" But isn't that a lot like life?


We brave the rapids of marriage issues, ill health, financial struggles, job loses. and raising children. We deal with breakdowns like cars, washing machines, and other things around our homes. We are swarmed by time schedules, deadlines, co-workers, bosses, and children yelling "Mom" for the 100th time. We get tangled in the weeds of everyday living with people wanting more and more leeching the very life out of us until we just plain feel like giving up because we are stuck in the mud going nowhere!

It is then we have to remind ourselves that God sees the much bigger picture and that "If God is for us, who can be against us?"(Romans 8:31, NIV) He spurs us on to "Run and not grow weary," (Isaiah 40:31, NIV), that we are to "Run in such a way as to get the prize" (I Corinthians 9:24, NIV), and to remember that we need to "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Heb. 12:1-3, NIV)

It is at times like these that there is nothing left to do, but keep row, row, rowing our boat and counting on Him who see all and knows all.  For it just might be, that the answer to our prayers, could be around the bend, just a mere 100 yards out of our sight!