For those who know me well, you know that I don’t normally forward emails. To be honest, most of the time I don’t even read the ones that are forwarded to me. They usually get deleted right away, or left to be ignored along with the other 1,000 plus emails sitting in my inbox waiting to be deleted. But this one was different. For whatever reason, I decided to read this one and it really hit home. Perhaps it had special meaning, because my “hut” has been on fire in a most literal sense. But beyond that, I’ve had that sinking feeling for years that our preverbial hut is burning around us. This little story gave me hope. I share it with the prayer that it will do the same for you.
When Your Hut’s On Fire
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small,
uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of
driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few
possessions.One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his
little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the
worst had happened, and everything was lost.He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, ‘God! How could you do this to me?’
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship
approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! ‘How did you know I was here?’ asked the weary man of his rescuers. ‘We saw your smoke signal,’ they replied.The Moral of This Story:
It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we
shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even
in the midst of our pain and suffering.Remember that the next time your little hut
seems to be burning to the ground,it just may be a smoke signal that
summons the Grace of God.
When you walk through the fire you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.
Isaiah 43:2 NASB
