Pump It Up! Live Elated, Not Deflated Through Disappointing Daysਨਮੂਨਾ

Diverse Dinghy Dilemmas

My personal dinghy dilemma was that I went through a redundancy process just as Covid hit and the world went into lockdown. My dinghy days of unemployment lasted for almost two years - much longer than I anticipated they would. I had left my job feeling sad, yet hopeful, and fully in faith that God had my next venture just round the corner. However, as each jobless month went by and I remained in my dinghy, my frustration, fear, and anxiety started to increase. I felt like I was done with the dinghy after about three weeks (!), but God had many more dinghy diamonds for me to discover.

The dinghy analogy that this devotional is based on came to me during this slow-paced season of redundancy. I had a vivid picture in my mind of me being in a small rubber dinghy in the middle of a massive ocean. All I could see was the sea. The waves were fairly calm, and I wasn’t in immediate danger – I was simply drifting and unable to see a shore ahead. I realised this represented how I felt about my life. I didn’t have a clear vision, direction, or destination. I was living each day as best as I could, but felt like I was just bobbing, going nowhere fast.

The reasons for our dinghy days are diverse, but none of us dodges them. We all face trials, challenges, setbacks, and difficulties. It’s often in our dinghy days of doubt, disappointment, and despair that God does some of his deepest work. Dinghy days undoubtedly bring trouble and challenge, but also an incredible opportunity to ‘take heart’ and to overcome with God’s help.

So what are some of the diverse dinghy dilemmas we may encounter? Perhaps you do have a job, but you are bored and longing for a new role where you can feel excited and fulfilled. Maybe your marriage is on the rocks, and you feel like you are both in completely different boats. Perhaps you compare your life to others and feel like you don’t match up in terms of success and achievement. You see the perceived cruising life of others, and you despise your dinghy. You might be facing a serious or long-term illness, and you feel like life is on hold. There are dozens of diverse dinghy dilemmas. Don’t be discouraged by dinghy days - if you find yourself bobbing along, God has dozens of divine dinghy discoveries awaiting you.

Reflection

What is your current ‘dinghy’ situation and the struggles relating to it? Bring this all to God in prayer today.