Castaway

The three men were stranded on Fanadik Island for three days, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The small boat they were traveling on was swamped by a large wave and they swam for two miles in the darkness of night to reach the shores of the Micronesian Island that's about 3,000 miles southwest of Honolulu. 

The men created a makeshift S.O.S. out of palm fronds. After just three days on this remote, uninhabited island, a U.S. Navy P-8 aircrew saw their S.O.S. and rescued the men. A happy ending.

This story caught my eye this week because I find the thought of being a castaway on a remote island fascinating. I don't think I'm alone. We've all thought about it, haven’t we? We've asked the questions, "If you're stranded on a desert island, who would you want with you?" "If you were stranded on a remote island and could only take five books, what would they be?" We've all thought about it at some point. For these men, that hypothetical scenario became a reality, and all they had with them were each other and the saltwater-soaked clothes on their backs. No food, no books and no drinking water.

Their situation was hardly fanciful or idyllic. So why does the thought of being a castaway on a remote island hold so much interest for many of us? I believe it's because the fantasy—even if the reality doesn't match—offers us a chance at a fresh start in life. Castaways, by definition, leave behind the rest of the world. They leave behind difficult relationships, deadlines and addictions (or at least access to addictive substances). The dream of being cast away offers the chance for a fresh, new start—an illusion many of us dream of in one form or another. 

The reality is that a fresh start is available to each of us every day. A fresh start that won't eliminate deadlines, difficult people or the addictive substances that may haunt us. But this fresh start does and will offer a way to begin each day with fresh courage to face the challenges of life. It is ours for the asking.

Here are three of the many verses in Scripture that you can claim today for that renewal.

"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

 

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

 

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16)

This fresh start is available today! No sinking ship required.