The man selling peanuts wasn’t there to assist swimmers, but when he was called to, he did.
Last summer, when my family was on vacation, there was a guy who came by in a tiny boat, selling boiled peanuts and drinks, to the snorkelers and the people on the beach. I had never seen anything like it before, but I thought his entrepreneuarial spirit was amazing.
People would line up in the water, to buy snacks.
One day, there were two little girls on a float, that had ventured out a little too far and they seemed to be struggling. He motored over to them and somehow pulled them into his tiny boat, to safety. He then, took them to the shore and delivered them to their grateful parents.
He motored back out a little ways and a lifeguard came over on a jet ski, from the other side of the beach, and scolded him. I couldn’t hear the conversation, but I could tell the lifeguard wasn’t happy. The peanut boat captain, sat politely, then shrugged his shoulders and went back to selling peanuts.
The entire scenario didn’t last more than a few minutes, but stayed on my mind long after we left the beach. I was shocked. That guy had just rescued two little girls. Was that lifeguard seriously trying to get into some bizarre turf war? I’m sure those parents would have loved to have had their say in the matter.
We have all been at one time or another, thrown into a situation that we didn’t feel equipped for, but felt called to do. The Bible is full of those people, from Moses the stutterer, to Ester the reluctant queen, to Mary, the virgin, who would give birth to our savior.
God often chooses to call people who seem very ill equipped for the task He has in front of them. It’s how faith is built. When we are called to do something bigger than we are, then we are forced to attribute our success to His strength, not our own. We end up seeing first hand, that nothing is impossible with God.
But, the Bible also teaches us that there will be opposition when we are following God’s plans. There will always be pharaohs and pharisees, like that lifeguard, who will attempt to tell us why we can’t or shouldn’t do what we are called to do, or to even convince us that it’s not our job.
And just like, Moses, Ester, Mary, and the disciples, we must go forth anyway, even if it’s just one tiny fearful step at a time. Because in the end, when we are following God’s will, we will be at the right place at the right time and we will have exactly what we need to succeed. Faith is about learning to trust the Caller.
A peanut boat rescue reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂