Let Jesus in the boat

Hello Friends,

Recently I had a dream which reaffirmed to me the importance of encouraging others.

THE DREAM:

I was with a group of people on a ship. We were given an ultimatum. Either we would submit to the corrupt authorities on board; to do and say things that would deny God and bring harm to others; or we would be forced overboard into a vast body of water with no land in sight anywhere.

We did not have to be forced. We all jumped into the water voluntarily. We knew that we would drown before we could ever reach land, but we kept swimming anyway.

My pastor was there and way out in front of everyone was an Olympic swimmer. Somehow (I am a weak swimmer) I was able to come alongside of her. I reminded her, and everyone that could hear me, of how the disciples immediately reached the shore as soon as Jesus stepped into the boat, after he had walked on the water to get to them. (John 6:21)

By this time some of the others had caught up to us. I asked them, "What is impossible for God?" A few weary answers of "Nothing" came back.


Feeling faith rise up inside of me, I laughed and shouted, "Is anything impossible for God?"

This time everyone responded with shouts and laughter: "NO! Nothing is impossible for God!"

Immediately we were at dry land and there was a store which held all of the provisions we would need for the next leg of our journey, including a vehicle to hold us all.

In the morning, as I pondered this dream, I looked up the story in John 6. I thought of how the disciples were in the midst of a storm, more than three miles from the shore. They probably thought they would not make it to the other side. Then Jesus showed up in a very unexpected way (walking on the water) which frightened them at first. But as soon as they invited him into the boat, they were immediately where they wanted to be.

Using the article page in my NIV devotional bible, I did some art. I painted a layer of Gesso over the article, all except for the title - "A Shining Light".  I used Gelatos and water colour crayons for my design. I also wrote this little verse:

In the midst of the storm

in the crumbling ship of my human frailty

I let you in

and you take me

to where I need to be.

 A day or two after this dream, I was contacted by His Kingdom Come (an online faith art community) to be an official encourager on the site. Because of this dream I felt pretty confident, and honoured, to accept this invitation.

In the dream, even though I was a weak swimmer, I was able to encourage my pastor and the Olympic swimmer. This affirms to me that even though I have many weaknesses, my words and attitudes can have profound effects upon the lives of others, even those much stronger and more talented than me.

The same is true of you. You may be just one drop in the sea of humanity, but your drop counts every bit as much as the most powerful human being you can think of.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you will know today that you are beautiful and you are loved.

Blessing hugs,
Teresa