We're all in the same boat

Rembrandt portrayed famous scenes from the Bible in many of his paintings. Tonight we revisited the one titled "Christ in a Storm on the Sea of Galilee," which he painted in the year 1633. It's commonly used in Christian teaching to illustrate the idea of each of us looking at our own faith. In the painting is Jesus and 13 other people. The twelve disciples, of course, and Rembrandt. He's put himself in the boat too. How would I act in this situation? When the sea gets rough will I panic? Will I cower in fear? Will I turn to God for strength? I don't know about you, but I'm guilty of repeating this pattern: when things are going good for me, I forget about God. I neglect my prayer life, I neglect my Bible. Sure, I attend church every Sunday, but whoopee, aren't I a good Christian? When things go bad, I turn to Him. And guess what? He's always there. I've always felt a common thread with the story of Jacob. There's a scene where's he's literally wrestling with God. I feel like that many times. It goes back and forth and back and forth. But in the end, God "touches" Jacob's thigh bone and it withers. He walks with a cane for the rest of his life. God's little reminder. It's a constant struggle to be thankful for your blessing when times are good. And also to turn to God for guidance when times are not so good.

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