Here we go Wilson! You don’t have to worry about anything; I’ll do all the paddling. You just hang on!
Last night our kids wanted to watch the Tom Hanks movie Castaway. It must be six years since we saw it as part of our missionary training and preparation for moving abroad. We were told that if we wanted to know what some of life’s journey would feel like, emotionally, it was a good film to watch. They were right!
When we moved to Hungary the move was swift; our focus was only trying to tie up the pieces of our lives in Denver where we lived at the time. We didn’t have the luxury of making plans or mapping out a strategy for navigating the waters in a foreign country. When we arrived in Hungary the shock to the system was like being ship-wrecked. The whole family experienced waves of emotion.
Waves of Emotion
The movie ‘Cast-Away’ explores the emotional heartbreak of being separated from what you know and what brings you comfort. The things you take for granted are no longer simple or readily available. Emotions go from elation when we finally succeed at something to depression when the loneliness of the experience seeps in. In those times it is hard to find hope, but it is possible!
Psalm 31:24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Expect the Unexpected
Our experience living abroad has taught us a valuable lesson. We have learned to expect the unexpected. Even when things don’t go the way we plan we can still make it through. One of my favourite quotes from the movie is ‘I know what I have to do now. I have to keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide will bring in.’
Be encouraged. God is watching over you, and He will help you through.
Isaiah 40:30-31
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
