“Run Forest, Run”, is all I could hear in the back of my mind as we ran down the seemingly endless dock! 4:30pm ship time was the time we were supposed to have boarded the ship to leave Cozumel by 5:00pm; and it was now 5:30pm. One hour late! Not a soul was on the dock but from a distance we could hear the chants of everyone on board shouting things like “You can make it”, “Run faster”, “Hurry up”. These were just some of the shouts and roars that we could make out as they were being carried over in the wind.
Ship time was different than local time. That is where the confusion began. As we disembarked that morning for a full day of fun we neglected to synchronize our watches with the ship’s time. Instead, we walked around and quickly became enveloped with the water sports, food, shopping, and everything else local that we came across. It was easy to forget that we were subject to a different standard of time.
When we noticed that the streets that were flooded with people early that morning had now become quiet, we began to get a little nervous. We hastily began our drive back as we were about 5 miles away from the port and in a bright lemon green rented jeep that needed to be returned. The closer we got, the more evident it became that we were about to be left behind.
And then suddenly we heard it, the blasting sound of the ship’s horn indicating they were ready to leave.
We jumped out of the jeep and dashed towards the now closed gates. The security guard standing at the gate observing as we ran across the street and in between cars began to wave us down and contacted the ship’s crew to notify them that the missing family had arrived!
And that’s where the 5K began. “Run Forest, Run”, is all I could hear in the back of my mind as we ran down the seemingly endless dock! Sky and Rain made it to the ship’s entrance first followed by Frankie and myself. The ship’s crew were not as kind and supportive as the passengers yelling overhead. They greeted us with a “Where have you been? Ship time was 4:30″ and had already managed to confiscate our passports from our room in order to leave them behind with the agents so we could find our own way back home.
Geez! What a scare!
We were lucky to have made it that day. It could have all been avoided had we stuck to ship time.
God’s time is the same. Many times we get distracted with everything we’re not supposed to; unhealthy relationships, unfulfilling careers, and faulty belief systems amongst other things. We ignore the subtle voice tugging at our hearts reminding us to evaluate our current place in life and calling us back to His timing.
You see, God’s timing is there to help us avoid unnecessary heartache. Fortunately, it is never too late to get back in alignment. We were more than grateful that day that we made it before the ship’s departure as we were one taco away from swimming back home! Lucky for us, everything worked out.
Can you think of an instance when you were not in God’s time? I’d love to hear your story.
Oh by the way, if you’re wondering what happened to the rented jeep…Frankie left it in the middle of the street. Yes, I am absolutely serious! This is Mexico people!
Great post Rosie! I know there have been many times in my life where I was out of God’s timing and just doing my own thing. It catches up with you eventually and you have no choice but to own up to it, ask for forgiveness, and sync your life with God’s Word.
Im glad you related. I’m just thankful there’s always another opportunity to get it right!