Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Quicksand



In a world of quicksand, how do we survive? 

I’m not literally talking about sand that sucks us down and devours us, I’m talking about everyday life problems. Problems that are so overwhelming and stressful that they pull us down and make us miserable. All of us have our own kinds of “quicksand.” Problems are problems no matter how deep they sink us.

How do we get ourselves out of our quicksand predicament? Is there a secret to dealing with these problems? 

A very long time ago, I read in a survival book that if you are sinking in real quicksand, the first thing you must do is to stay calm. The more you struggle, the faster you sink. It also said that if you have a backpack or anything that you can try to get on top of, then that will slow your sinking. The last thing to do in a quicksand situation is to hold out your hands above your head  that way, when help comes, they can pull you out. 

That is all nice and logical, but what if you were actually being swallowed up in real quicksand?

Picture yourself walking along in the desert. For some odd reason, you are by yourself. You take a step and all of the sudden, your foot starts to sink! Pulling with all your might, you try and try to get that foot unstuck, but to no avail. It keeps sinking lower and lower. Just when you think it starts to loosen, you get thrown off balance and instead of falling to your knees, you catch yourself with your other foot. Only to find that now both feet are stuck. 

Panicking, you start struggling and sinking. Sinking faster now, you feel helpless. Wind stirs up the sand around you, and it stings your face. By this time, the quicksand is way past your knees and you desperately need help. Holding your arms up, you cry out, hoping against hope that you will receive it. 

Do you see the anguish in this situation? Do you ever feel the panicking of every day problems? 

There is a story in the bible that is very similar to our quicksand scenario. 

It is found in Matthew 14:27-32. 

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’
And Peter answered Him and said, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ 
So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he became afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’
And Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’
And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.”


Peter walked on water! But as soon as he took is eyes off of Jesus and saw the waves that the fierce wind was making, he became afraid. He began to doubt and lose faith in Jesus, making him sink deeper and deeper into the water. Crying out for Jesus to save him was his only hope. Immediately Jesus caught him.

Walking on water and the quicksand are like our everyday walk. Not necessarily the physical act of walking, but our life journey. When we focus on Jesus even when it is hard, even when there are distractions and BIG waves, even when we are scared, He will make it possible to walk on water. But when we don’t focus on Jesus and our doubt takes over, we start to sink in our problems. 

We all have felt like we are sinking before. In school, in relationships, at work, at home, on the farm, in the city, even at church. Yes, there is quicksand and boisterous wind everywhere, everyday. Don’t struggle in your problems. Instead, call out to the only One who can save you. Immediately, he will. Have faith, because God will catch you and pull you up. 

There is no amount of quicksand, water, or problems that God cannot handle.

Psalm 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Has God been calling you to trust him with your quicksand? When you feel like you are sinking, what do you do? What are some ways to keep our eyes on Jesus even when we are overwhelmed and busy? What is one thing God has been teaching you this June? Lets talk, comment below!

17 comments:

  1. I looooove Psalm 46!!! Especially the Scottish Metrical version, sung to Stroudwater. Soooo beautiful!!

    Right now I have been struggling with trying to be content...just finished a very conviction book on the subject!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading!

      Psalms 46:1 is so good and to the point!

      I think we all struggle with being content. It is so easy to get caught up in everything and forget to be happy with where we are at. What book did you read?

      Delete
    2. I read The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughts. It was really good, and I'd highly recommend it!

      https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/770478.The_Rare_Jewel_of_Christian_Contentment

      Delete
  2. Great post, Brooklyne!
    I love that passage in Matthew 14 - there’s so much to learn from it!
    Yes, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and trust in Him. We can’t do this on our own or we’ll fail.
    Thanks for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sarah!
      Matthew 14 definitely has a object lesson we can relate too.
      If our focus is on Jesus, we will not sink!
      Thank you for sharing your thoughts and thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. So true! I find the more I focus on the problem or "quicksand" the worse it seems. The more I let God take it and trust Him, the more peace I find. Great post! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, keeping you eyes on Jesus, focusing on Him, and trusting Him with all of the distractions. Only then can we find peace in all of the quicksand.
      Thank you for reading, Mallory, I'm glad you stopped by!

      Delete
  4. What a great illustration. Peter would have to be my favorite disciple. I'm going to remember this today I'm 'walking'
    Rachel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rachel! Even though problems are all around us, if we keep our focus on the One who knows best, then we will not get caught up in those fierce waves!
      Thank you so much for leaving a comment!

      Delete
  5. Wow, I really needed to read this today. Great post, thank you. <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad that God was able to use this post. Thank you so much for commenting!

      Delete
  6. Amen! Thanks for this, Brooklyne. :) I always appreciate your truth-focused posts, and your new header looks nice! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jessica! I find that I learn better when there is a real life object lesson to correlate with a biblical aspect. Thank you for reading!
      Aww, thanks! I really like the way the new header turned out too! I was able to use two of my senior pictures, which I thought matched the theme pretty good! <3

      Delete
  7. I loooove your new header!!! <33333

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well said, I feel down a lot. This post will be helpful. Thank you!
    ~ Destiny

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading this post! You are in my prayers... <3

      Delete