A Petrified pine tree

I started writing this Sunday night and just finished today.

A PETRIFIED PINE TREE

Good afternoon.

I hope all is well is your little part of the world.

I just got back last night from a week long shrimping trip at sea. Right now I am tired and I need to study because tomorrow I have the honor of preaching to several hundred young recruits at Parris Island Military base at 7:45 AM. Then I will go from there to preach to some people at an open air church at Lands End. This open air church is in a man’s back yard. The back yard over looks Port Royal Sound, which is favored with one of the most spectacular views anywhere in Beaufort County.

As we look out over Port Royal Sound we can see the Intra Coastal Waterway. To the South we can see Hilton Head Island and many more Islands that God has planted in our area. If we look straight to the west there sits Parris Island. Now when I get through speaking at Parris Island it will take me about 45 min. to get to Lands End but as the crow fly’s it is only about three miles away.

It is strange or neat how the Lord works because right in front of this place where I will be preaching at Lands End is a long dock. Right in front of this dock is where I anchor my trawler when fishing in this area. Now that may not seem very special to you but to me it is, because I was anchoring there many years before I ever started preaching on the shore at the end of the dock. (I hope this makes sense.)

Anyway, praise God for all His blessings. He is so great.

On Monday the work week started off with the wind blowing about 35 knots. We went out in front of Fripp Island and made one drag but it was just too rough. When the wind blows like this it makes work hard and dangerous. Normal people don’t have a clue as to what I am talking about. Maybe this will help. Imagine what it would be like to be inside of a washing machine while it was washing, and try to stand up and get anything done. It would be really hard wouldn’t it?

Tuesday the wind had calmed down and we went back out and started dragging for shrimp, (Work is a drag). Several more trawlers showed up, so we had some company. The first drag we had a really good catch and it looked like it was going to be successful day, but on the second drag we caught a lot more shrimp but we also caught in the nets a “Old Petrified Pine Tree.” It was at least 60 feet long and weighed several tons. It tore up one of my nets but we still got a large pile of shrimp. Now this may not seem like much to you but we had to get several ropes on this old tree and get in on board so we could put it somewhere out of the way so we would never catch it again.

After we got it tied off we headed slowly into Trencherds Inlets. (Ted Turner owns an Island just inside of this inlet called, St. Phillips Island.)

We anchored the boat and stayed on the deck until 11:30 that night. We had to pick up and clean, bag and freeze all the shrimp we had caught and then we had to take off the tore up net and install a new one. This sounds easy but it was about 97 degrees and no breeze in the inlet. It was a job but we got it done.

We went on out the next morning and the rest of the week we had fair weather and really caught a lot of shrimp….Now what I want to talk about is the Pine tree. This Old Pine tree was just beneath surface, it had to have been there for years and years. One day my nets came along and raised it up to where eyes could see it.

In our lives there are many things that are just beneath the surface, just laying there waiting for us to bring them to life or maybe into full view. For instance, on the night of April 14, 1912 the “Titanic,” sank to the bottom of the Atlantic in the frigid black of night, the victim of a giant iceberg hidden just beneath the surface.

As the ice berg penetrated the steel of the Titanic, water rushed into its supposedly watertight compartments, destroying the ship’s buoyancy. Many people lost their lives, families were destroyed, and truly no words can describe the pain that was felt, that night. And no one had seen the attack coming, because the ultimate danger was not above the waterline but below it.

The real tragedy is that it could have been avoided. Warnings went unheeded. If fact, at least six warnings of ice fields were ignored. One was never delivered to the bridge, and reports were that the captain was drifting in and out of sleep. If only someone had paid attention to the warnings and been on guard. (Are you on guard?)

Now where do you and I fit into this story?

I find that too many marriages or relationships are like the Titanic. Stuck by dangers lurking beneath the surface. Sinking quickly, killing those on board. Tragedies with victims, avoidable tragedies caused by overly confident captains, fast paced lifestyles, foolish priorities, unstable structures, dangers out of sight. Shipwrecks waiting to happen.

1) Over confident captains: Now a husband is the captain of his marriage. What I mean by this is; he is supposed to be the leader of his family. He is supposed to set an example for his wife and children. Often because of a hard head or perhaps the husband or wife is over confident, they awake one morning only to find pain or confusion as the driving force directing their life. (What can be done?)

BE HOLY BECAUSE I AM HOLY:

One man I know, who is a really good friend is going through a divorce right now. He tries to act like it doesn’t bother him but I know better. He was married to this lady for many years. They have three kids who are now married.

2) Fast paced lifestyles: 3) Foolish priorities.

They lived a little in what I call the fast lane. Always going out to bars and having a few drinks and living in the party world. After a while they both began to get drunk pretty often. When this happens it is like the old pine tree or the ice berg that sank the Titanic, it is something that was hidden beneath the surface that grows slowly to the point of total destruction.

After many years of this party life, the wife began to go out with other men and finally got in trouble. The husband did the same thing. Satan does not care what he uses to get you!! It is he job to deceive you!!

This man and woman at one time truly loved each other but because they did not have their priorities in order, their life together is going down the drain.

I have talked with the man in this story and he told me that it just snuck up on him and before he knew it his marriage was over.

3) Unstable Structures: Instead of putting their faith in God, they put it in the world. Satan is in control of the world, he is the prince of the air. Satan is an “Unstable Structure.” His job is to try to kidnap us into thinking, “Every thing is ok.” He does a really good job. He deceives us into sinning and because we are fleshly creatures, we are fooled into thinking sinning is ok. He makes us feel counterfeit happiness. He leads us to believe that we are doing the right thing because it feels good. Listen, the Bible says sin is good for a season but then the payment. What is the payment for sin? Death in many ways!!

This is what he told me and I want you to see the lies in his story. Often we lie to ourselves so we will think everything is ok or normal.

4) Dangers out of sight:
He rationalized and justified his thoughts (Wife also) and actions with ideas like these:

a) I can handle this; I won’t let it get out of hand. (My comeback is, Can you play with a baby rattlesnake and not get bitten?)

b) God wants me to be happy. (I thought God wants me to be holy)

c) I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. (News flash! Theirs is not such thing as a safe affair.)

d) You just don’t understand my situation. (Oh, sure, you’re unique.)

At times I believe we all think we are unique and the truth is, we are. We are created in the image of God! God has provided all we need to sustain us. He has even given us an owner’s manual with first class directions. God has even provided an unblemished lamb as a sin offering for us. His name is Jesus.

Now about being Holy: If the man and woman in this story had offered their lives, holy and pleasing to God, chances are their marriage would have lasted. Being holy means that a person is set apart for service to God. It also means that we do the things that are in accordance with God’s will.

WHAT DRIVES YOUR LIFE?

Everyone’s life is driven by something.

There are so many things that are just under the surface in our lives that can cause us to be driven by the wrong thing.

Webster’s dictionary defines drive as, “To guide, to control, or to direct.” Whether you are driving a nail, car, or driving a tennis racket through the air, you are guiding, controlling, and directing at that moment.

At the present you may be driven by a problem, a pressure, or some sort of deadline. It could be that you are driven by a bad memory, or a haunting fear or even an unconscious belief. But stop right now and look back! What ever is causing turmoil in your life or in the life of someone you know, I bet that some where in the past the problem was caused by something that was hidden just under surface.

Something that was looked upon as not to important or not so bad, has now exploded in to full bloom and now it has to be dealt with.

Anyway, just stop and think about your own life! Do you have something going on that maybe just under the surface, getting ready to come to the top and cause trouble or pain?

Jesus said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God……” If we seek Him first with all of our heart, and let Him help us get our priorities straight, then we will be preparing for whatever may come our way.

My order of priorities have not always been good but now I seek the will of God in all I do!

1) God: He is number one in my life!

2) Family: My family is second.

3) Church: My church comes third.

If I look to God first, He will give me guidance in the things that matter most, like my family. If I follow Him, I will not do things or go places that will jeopardize the security of my family.

The old pine tree I caught in my net the other day was on the bottom, just below the surface. I could not see it but it was there. After it came to the top, I could see the damage it had done and was still doing. It cost a lot of money to buy new shrimp nets and rope, but it is nothing compared to divorce and things of that nature.

So watch out, don’t let something destructive that may be just below the surface, come up and make a mess of your life.

I couldn’t help catching the pine tree but there are many other things that I will not let happen. I will not give the old devil an inch.

Be careful, if you give him an inch, he’ll be your ruler.

Robert N. Graves, Sr.
Fisherman for Christ.