Baggage Claim — Unzipped - Friday
Today’s Verse
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. (ESV)
If today’s devotion sounds familiar, yes, it’s my other catamaran story. I don’t go on a ton of adventures, so cut me some slack. This is my second life lesson from the same honeymoon boat ride, and I can feel the preacher energy building. I also know it sounds a little too perfectly applicable, like I made it up to fit the point, but I swear, it really happened. Same trip. Same boat. Same, very real panic. And honestly, if I’ve survived one emotionally loaded snorkeling excursion, I’ve earned the right to get two devotions out of it!
We were packing up to head back when the crew noticed the weather rolling in. “It’s moving the other direction,” they said with complete confidence. Spoiler: it wasn’t, it came right for us.
We could see the rain literally chasing us across the water, and it hit like a wall. Visibility dropped to nothing; it kind of felt like we were sailing inside a car wash, without the suds. The crew didn’t announce anything; more concerningly, they just kept the motor running, eyes forward, sending us straight into the unknown without saying much of anything. Just... kept going and hoping for the best.
For me, that’s exactly what depression has felt like at times. You can sense the storm building, and you try to outpace it, but eventually, you’re in it. No visibility, just noise, fog, and anxiety. You’re moving, but you’re not sure where or if it’s working.
That’s where 2 Corinthians 4 has brought healing in my life: afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck down BUT not crushed, not driven to despair, not forsaken, not destroyed. Paul isn’t saying or pretending things are fine. He’s saying even when it feels like we’re barely holding on, we’re still being held.
Sometimes, like that boat, you don’t know you’re okay until the worst of it passes. God doesn’t always stop the storm, but He never abandons you or jumps ship.
REFLECTION
Do you feel stuck in a storm? How can you tune into how God is keeping you afloat even if you can’t feel it?
