Paul Broke Bread While Everyone Still Thought They Might Die
The strange moment in Paul’s shipwreck that reveals something about finding God in the middle of uncertainty
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There are moments in life when we instinctively put everything on hold.
We have recently been making some big changes in the Clarke household. I have finally admitted to myself that I will need mobility aids for the foreseeable future, and we have managed to find a car that accommodates them. We have also been adapting our home to better suit both our work and my life as a writer.
It is exciting to see everything coming together, but I often catch myself waiting for the next thing to be completed. It is surprisingly easy to fall into the habit of thinking, “When this is finished, then I can do that.”
I think this is true in life generally. We tell ourselves that we will feel at peace once the difficult season has passed. That we will become grateful once the uncertainty disappears, or maybe we will finally be able to enjoy life once certain problems have been resolved.
But of course, life rarely works that way.
There always seems to be another storm waiting on the horizon. More changes that are needed, another uncertainty, and another reason to believe that peace belongs somewhere in the future rather than in the present.
As I thought through recent changes, the story of Paul’s shipwreck came to mind.
As a bible passage, it is not easy to skip over because it reads like a disaster movie. A violent storm. A desperate struggle for survival. A ship breaking apart in the middle of the sea. It has all the ingredients.
But what we sometimes miss is that hidden inside this account is a strangely ordinary moment.
Paul breaks bread.
What makes it remarkable is not simply what he does, but when he does it.
Paul breaks bread while everyone around him still thinks they might die.
