Faith

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When the sun rose,
God appointed a sultry east wind,
and the sun beat upon the
head of Jonah
so that he was faint;
and he asked that he
might die.........
[Jonah 4:8]
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"Lord?"

"Yes, child?"

"Am I related to Jonah?"

"Of course.
He was My child, too."

"He seemed a bit of a ne're-do-well,
like me. Plus, he was always asking
You to take his life.
(thoughtful silence)
Plus, he also seemed to suffer
from extreme seasickness."

[NOD.]

"Remember that time, Lord,
I got stuck on that
sightseeing ferry around
Honolulu?"

[PATIENT NOD.]

"That was quite a trip,
wa'dn't it?"

"Yes, My child."

"I don't want to kvetch,
Lord, but, why did You give
me such a horrible malady?"

"Where do you live, My precious?"

"Huh? Eh......well, in San Antonio,
Lord. YOU know THAT.
Oh, I see what'cha mean, Lord:
not much ocean around.
But, Lord: think of all
the CRUISES I haven't BEEN on!"

"Yes; you have, child."

"Uh, UH.
No, I HAVEN'T!
What....'Ya mean: seeing 'The TITANIC'?
Actually, Lord, that was one cruise
I was glad I MISSED. My woe-be-gotten
relatives would've been all down in the
bottom deck, with the paddling rats
and floating chairs. Unfortunately,
none 'a 'em looked like Kate Winslet.
But....... it was a good movie.
And, of course the song was great."

[SMILE.]
"That was enough of a cruise
for you, My precious."

"To be honest, I never understood
that part about the older lady, Rose,
throwing her huge diamond
overboard. And, why didn't
her lips freeze to that whistle,
when she was tryin' to get
the attention of that sailor guy
in the life boat?
(thoughtful silence)
And how did her makeup still look
so fresh, after 2 hours and
20 minutes spent on a sinking SHIP?"

"This is all a great mystery, My precious."

"Well, I think that was a bit of a
movie faux pas.
Anyhow, now I forget why I
looked up Jonah."

"I know, My beloved."

"Well, Lord;
could You take me HOME, now?"

"Why."

"Well, I've really DONE everything!
What else is there to DO?"

"Plenty."

"Yeah: for other people!
Not ME!
I like to write, but I can't
even RHYME!
And, I'm certainly not going
to become an ASTRONAUT,
not with my motion sickness,
and all!"

[SMILING NOD.]
"Who is the Lord, child?"

"Well, YOU are, Lord!
I CERTAINLY wouldn't
WANT the JOB!"

[LAUGH.]
"Tell Me, again, child!"

"What: 'Ya mean about
me never becoming an
ASTRONAUT? Well,
Lord......I think that's
pretty much written
in stone, Lord.
(silence)
Oops! Did I made a pun, Lord?"

[LAUGH.]

"So, what's the moral of the
story here, Lord: never go
on a sea cruise without y'ur
waterproof makeup?"

[SMILE.]

"Uh.....if you're trying to
flag somebody down in a
life raft, and you're
wading in the middle
of the North Atlantic,
always make sure 'ya
got the nonFREEZING type
of whistle?"

[PATIENT SILENCE.]

"Oh. I know, Lord!
I know, I KNOW:

'If some guy happens ta'
stick a REAL BIG BLUE diamond
in your coat pocket, just
before the ship goes down,
whatever 'ya do, hang on to it.
You just might not drown.'?

"Perhaps that is it, child."

"What: about the DIAMOND, Lord?"

[NOD.]

(thoughtful silence)
"You mean......YOU might be
my DIAMOND, Lord?
So, even if I think my ship's
goin' down, I better hang
on 'ta You.....real TIGHT?"

"With your life, My child.
With your life."
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......He made the disciples
get into the boat
and go before Him
to the other side......
When evening came........
the boat...was many furlongs distant
from the land,
beaten by the waves;
for the wind was against them.
And in the fourth watch of the night,
He came to them,
walking on the sea..........
Take heart,
it is I;
have no fear.
[Matthew 14:22-27]

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