August 2 Bible Reading Plan

And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring? (1)

-Chuck Nolan

This quote comes from the Tom Hanks film Castaway. For those of you who've never seen the movie, Hanks plays Chuck Noland, a FedEx employee stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash that killed everyone else on board. After surviving at least four years on the island, Chuck manages to build a raft that takes him to the sea, where he is rescued by a passing ship.

Then comes my favorite part of the movie: When he returns to civilization, Chuck faces a new reality, starting with the fact that everyone gave him up for dead years ago. They had a funeral, and legally, he was dead.

Not only had his friends assumed he was dead, but his fiancé had moved on. She was now married with a young daughter. In the over four years that he was gone, everything had changed.

That's where we find this quote. Tom Hanks's character pours out his heart to his friend, whose wife had passed away while he was on the island, telling him about the time on the island when he knew he had absolutely no control over his life or the situation.

"And that's when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive.

Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail.

And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island.

And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?" (1)

Here's the thing: hopefully, very few of us will ever be stranded on a desert island. However, we all go through times in life that we never planned, never expected, and quite honestly hoped would never happen.

When we're fighting the disease….

When we lost the job we loved and are struggling financially…

When the person who meant the most to us in the world passes away…

When we are in a genuinely bad place and have no idea how to escape, change the circumstances, or even make time pass more quickly…

What do we do when we realize we can't control anything about our situation, and we feel as alone and hopeless as the man who was a castaway on a desert island?

We keep breathing.

We keep moving forward.

We get up in the morning, pray, read the Bible, and keep doing what we need to do.

We keep hoping.

We keep believing what the Bible says is true and that someday, God will work everything out for His purpose for those who love Him.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28, NLT)

Most importantly, we realize that unlike Tom Hanks's character, who only had a volleyball to keep him company, you are never alone as a child of God.

Jesus promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:8)

In good times and especially in hard times, He is walking right beside us, helping us, strengthening us, and, when necessary, carrying us.

As sons of God, we can be sure that even when we can't control our circumstances, God is in control.

He has a plan. He has a purpose. He knows what is happening, and He will get us through.

Trusting in the Bible's truths and God's promises, we keep breathing in and out every day. Keep moving forward and waiting for God to send the tide that changes everything.

That's how you remain unbreakable in the most desperate circumstances.

Bibliography:

1. Castaway. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, performances by Tom Hanks and Helen Hunt, 20th Century Fox (North America) DreamWorks Pictures (International, through United International Pictures), 2000.