Daily Jewel

By Pastor Carnell
March 21, 2012

“Find Your ‘Happy-Place’” (Part Three)
“Above all else, guard your heart…it is the well-spring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

Solomon describes the “heart” as the “Wellspring” of life. The word “Wellspring” literally means, “outgoings,” a term usually used in a geographic context to describe the boundaries of a given territory. Here it probably refers to the “source” or “springs” of life itself. The most important piece of real estate in any town in Israel was the spring that provided water to that town. In ninth-century B.C. Megiddo, an elaborate water system was built including a shaft nearly one hundred feet deep and a tunnel over two hundred feet long, all through solid rock. The purpose for such a costly system was to bring the water from a camouflaged spring safely inside the city walls and secure the city in case of attack from an enemy. The same effort is also needed to protect one’s heart and also, one’s life from disaster.
When we left our Sea Lion yesterday, he had allowed the voice of pessimism and hopelessness steal his dreams. Despite the fact that in his heart he knew there was more, he gave up his search for the sea and accepted something far less. Here is the last part:

It was in May that the winds began to blow. The sea lion had grown used to wind, and at first he did not pay much heed at all. Years of desert life had taught him to turn his back in the direction from which the wind came and cover his eyes with his flippers, so that the dust would not get in. Eventually, the winds would always pass. But not this time. Day and night it came, howling across the barren lands. There was nothing to stop its fury, nothing to even slow it down. For forty days and forty nights the winds blew. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. The sea lion lifted himself to have a look around. He could hardly believe his eyes. Every single leaf had been stripped from his tree. The branches that remained, with only a twig or two upon them, looked like an old scarecrow. And I do not need to tell you that there was no longer any shade in which to hide. But worse than this, much worse indeed, was what the sea lion saw next. The water hole was completely dry.
Three weeks after the wind ceased to blow, the sea lion had a dream. Now, as I told you before, there were other nights in which he had dreamed of the sea. But those were long ago and nearly forgotten. Even still, the ocean that filled his dreams this night was so beautiful and clear, so vast and deep, it was as if he were seeing it for the first time. The sunlight glittered on its surface, and as he dived, the waters all around him shone like an emerald. If he swam quite deep, it turned to jade, cool and dark and mysterious. But he was never frightened, not at all. For I must tell you that in all his dreams of the sea, he had never before found himself in the company of other sea lions. This night there were many, round about him, diving and turning, spinning and twirling. They were playing.
Oh, how he hated to wake from that wonderful dream. The tears running down his face were the first wet thing he had felt in weeks. But he did not pause even to wipe them away, he did not pause, in fact, for anything at all. He set his face to the east, and he began to walk as best a sea lion can.
“Where are you going?” asked the tortoise.
“I am going to find sea.”
The devil is so good at convincing us that there is something better than serving God. The tortoise had done an admirable job of convincing the Sea Lion of giving up his dream and his desire to find the sea. But when faced with the raging winds of life—all that the Sea Lion had was stripped away, leaving him to consider that there had to be more.
The heart is the center of our passions. Yes, there is without question a romantic element involved—but to only reserve passion in that sense would be to do God a great disservice. God’s passion for us went as far as to give us His Son that we might live life to the full! (John 10:10) We were made to be God’s children—His possessions!! To accept anything less is to do ourselves a great disservice. Guard your heart (as Solomon says) from those voices that would keep you from seeking the very best. Also, remember that we are never alone! God revealed to the Sea Lion that there were those waiting for Him—who were like him and were enjoying what He had to offer.
How disastrous it would have been had the Sea Lion just given up—but he did not and decided to seek for something better. It would have been a difficult, arduous journey but what was waiting for him at the end was far greater than what he was living in at the time! What a great message! If you are going through a difficult time in your life and the devil has stolen your passion for life—for serving God—take a minute and consider all that your life is surrounded with. Consider that you have friends that love you and will stand behind you. Do you have a church family? They will do the same. If you do not have a church…find one!! Get involved!! The Church is a part of the sea, a place created by God for us to enjoy the Christian Life.
Finally, do you Know Christ? I do not mean a simple head knowledge—(even the tortoise knew of the sea)—but a heart knowledge! That is the place where we need to be and once there the passion for life really comes into play! Once we are reunited to the One who created us and designed us—once we realize that we were made for each other, then life will take on a far new meaning and purpose.
Pastor J. T. Carnell