Harbored

By Cynthia Ruchti –

I snapped a picture while on a mother-daughter getaway in Wisconsin’s Door County two springs ago—a lone boat tethered in a quiet harbor. I’ve turned to the photo many times, wondering why I’m drawn to it. What is it about it that speaks something deep to my heart? If I can’t define it, is it worth pondering?

I took it out again one day in the throes of an early snowstorm, the kind that spreads a layer of ice first in order to give the snow something to slide on. Was I drawn to the serene photograph because it’s just natural that I would find blue skies and non-frozen water appealing? It was more than that. Green leaves on the trees? Lush, but more than that. The reminder that spring in Wisconsin offers air that won’t freeze your lung lining when inhaled?

No. It was the sailboat. The lone sailboat at rest.

Tethered in its slip, the boat wasn’t currently performing the task for which it was designed. The boat in the photograph is at rest. Harbored. Waiting.

I wonder if it is restless. Does it strain against the moorings because it is eager to get on with it, to serve, to move, to go places, to offer its owner the benefit of its gifts?

Looking at it, I’d have to say it looks content, satisfied to wait for the day the owner walks down the length of the concrete pier, hops aboard, releases her from her moorings, unfurls her sails, and with a gentle push away from the immovable pier says, “Okay, girl. Let’s see where the wind takes us today.”

When the Lord comes down the pier to release me from the ropes that keep me in the harbor, will He find me resting but ready? Or restless?

PRAYER: Lord, Your Word tells me that I find my rest in You. It reminds me that Your ways are not my ways, nor Your thoughts my thoughts. It even tells me that Your timing is perfect when mine is so often rushed. Create in me a new heart, Lord, one that’s willing to rest and wait for You to set me sailing.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8, KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer/producer of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME radio ministry and president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—released with Abingdon Press May 1 and a Christmas novella—A Door County Christmas—released in September. Cynthia writes stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark (www.cynthiaruchti.com).

If You Have Faith the Size of a Mustard Factory

By Cynthia Ruchti –

Recognize the quote? Jesus said, “If you have faith the size of a mustard factory, you can say to this mountain, ‘Be moved,’ and poof! It’s gone.”

That’s how the quote goes, right? Oh! Mustard seed. My mistake.

What if the Bible read the way we think? Has anyone taken on the task of creating a Bible translation/paraphrase called The Reality Bible: Truth twisted to match our thought patterns?

“Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your gym membership.”

“In all your ways, acknowledge your personal trainer, and he shall direct your paths.”

“Take up your yoga mat daily…”

“The love of money is the root of all evil, but infatuation with it will take you places.”

“If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other cheek, take a deep breath, and then flatten him with a right hook. If that doesn’t work, sue.”

“If we confess our sins, we can pretty much guarantee they’ll show up in the tabloids. Or on The View.”

“Therefore to him who knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is most likely related to poor parenting on his mother’s part. Or an absentee father. Or a weak educational system. Or genetics.”

Interesting factoid about truth. We’re not supposed to change it. It’s supposed to change us.

If I created a tongue-in-cheek Reality Bible, I might find a publisher to take on the project. Some segments of our population would snatch up a “Bible” that thinks like a human.

I for one am grateful the project doesn’t exist on anyone’s drawing board. I’ll stick with the Truth that transforms me.

PRAYER: Lord, Your Word is my heart’s delight! May I read it, obey it, live it out in all its truth, rather than putting my spin on it. Make me faithful, Lord, to Your Word.

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of they statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end” (Psalm 119:33, KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer/producer of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME radio ministry and president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Cynthia’s debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home—releases with Abingdon Press May 1, 2010–http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZb0by984g. Cynthia writes stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark (www.cynthiaruchti.com).

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