Thoughts as Summer Approaches

A gang of drunkards was rowing a country-boat along a lake. On the way they saw a shop where liquor was being served. It was getting dark and all of them were tired. They decided to stop and resume the row after relishing a drink. They got out of the boat and tied the boat safely with a rope to a tree on the bank of the lake. Then they entered the liquor shop and ordered drinks. They filled their bellies to the full with the liquor and returned to the boat with unsteady steps. They got into the boat and rowed hard, happily singing a fond melody in the ecstasy of intoxication. Hours rolled on. At sunrise, when they came back to their senses, they were surprised to find that they were still stationed near the liquor shop. They examined the boat and found that it was still bound to the tree. In the intoxicated state, they forgot to untie the boat. It could not move though they rowed hard for a full night!

A prayer group had a senior leader. He used to repeat this request in every prayer, “Lord, clean all the cobwebs entangling my life.” One day, tired of hearing this repeated request, one smart member who was to pray next, prayed aloud, “Lord, our leader has been praying every day to get his cobwebs removed. Kindly grant him the strength to kill the spider that is causing this constant trouble!” The members greeted the prayer with great applause.

This summer as your schedules begin to wind down. Be careful that you do not find yourself rowing your boat, only to find that your still tied to the tree. It may also be true that we will spend sometime cleaning out the cobwebs, when we might want to be Killing the spider.

May your journeys this summer be free and your lives uncluttered with cobwebs.