Take Courage

The storm must have whipped up so quickly they didn’t even have time to lower the sails.

It was a pleasant evening; all was going well. They were just supposed to cross the sea, not battle the forces of nature. But plans changed.

Dark storm clouds climbed across the sky like a pack of hungry predators. Gusts of wind buffeted the boat and clawed at the sails. Waves chopped their angry jaws at the small fishing vessel and tossed it to and fro like a piece of sea-rotted driftwood. Thunder growled; lightning bit. A blanket of rain descended on the sea.

The men inside were helpless. Their breath robbed by both wind and water, they couldn’t even cry for help. Plans had changed and no one had notified them. They were sure they were going to die. This is what it was like to perish at sea.

Then they saw it. A light, hovering just above the water. A pinpoint at first but growing, closing in quickly. It was a ghost, a specter from the hereafter, coming to harvest their souls.

Fear gripped them so ferociously they considered jumping ship and succumbing to the desire of the ravenous sea.

But as the light grew larger and loomed closer it took on a familiar form. And a familiar voice.

“Take courage. Don’t be afraid.”