Don't Give Up the Ship! - Blanche Day Manos

Maybe you remember that last week I had a grape picking party. Well, it was just me and the vines and a lot of memories but I wound up with enough grapes to make jelly. There’s nothing prettier than a shelf with jars of shining jelly arrayed in glistening splendor. Nothing is more delicious than a dab of jelly spread on hot buttered toast. Take my word for it.

We are under a thunderstorm watch or warning or something here in NWArkansas. The wind has come up and rain has just now started. Good! Nothing invigorates better than a good thunderstorm!

This morning I read a news story which included a clip about Captain James Lawrence who, although mortally wounded, uttered these last words, “Tell the men to fire faster! Don’t give up the ship!” This was in 1813. Today, although we are not engaged in a naval battle as was the brave captain, we are still engaged in a battle against wickedness and those words still inspire, “Don’t give up the ship!”

Sometimes it seems that evil is winning but just look around. It isn’t winning at all. As long as we are on God’s side, we are the winners! We are to “Be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:6). Defeat is not in the vocabulary of a Christian.

And, those are some of my random thoughts this Sunday morning as thunder bounces around in the dark clouds and rain drenches the grass. Grapevines are still growing, birds are still greeting the dawn, evil will ultimately be defeated and we need to keep keeping on. “Don’t give up the ship!”