carrying the hammer

i have a friend, that when she was walking through a trial would say, ''at least i'm not carrying a hammer.''

she was making reference to Noah. how years before there was even on drop of rain...he was building a boat.

now, hindsight allows us to call this faith. i mean he was doing as God instructed....he was doing the right thing. obedience.

at the time, however, can you imagine how he felt some days...
carrying around a hammer
building a boat
predicting a great flood
while everyone looked on
and snickered
laughed
mocked

i can imagine some days felt very long...
carrying that hammer
preaching
warning
begging
wanting so badly for them to hear truth
to see truth

have you ever felt like that?
that God has called you to something...
maybe not ark building,
maybe not even near that scale...
but regardless,
God so often calls us out of our comfort zone
hands us a hammer
and there we go

knowing and trusting that God knows best
that his instruction,
his assignments
are for our betterment...

but man
the pride
(my pride)
the hammer singles us out
makes us look silly at times...
makes us have to be really raw
vulnerable
open
all for the sake
of obedience

and maybe the rain, the reason behind us carrying the hammer, is just as hidden to others as the flood was to those in the book of Genesis...

but the rain will come
the reason will make sense
God never leaves us in the rain, to weather the storm
because
see
that hammer there your holding now...
ensures you have an ark of protection.