Six Islands

Life is a precious gift, and sometimes we push against the wind, and like salmons, we spend much of our brief lives swimming upstream. Whether or not prepared and well equipped, we have no choice but to launch into the depths of mystery. There are breaks and dangers, stops and turns, in the ever-flowing streams where we are constantly challenged all along the way. Although most of the life streams we travel do not compare to the rip currents of the costal oceans, moving at speeds of up to 8 feet per second*, life has no guarantees. As we sail along the stream of life, we discover islands in the stream that we not only encounter, but are also challenged and confronted by them. Occasionally, there is a fork in the stream, but never before MYSTERY ISLAND. Some mysteries eventually get cleared up in our lifetime; many others do not, because The Island of Mystery is designed to hide and cover up; not to reveal. On this island, we learn early on that there is someone bigger than ourselves. It is a place of vulnerability where we learn to trust and believe in God. There is THE ISLAND OF PREY AND PREDATOR where we like weasels must fight until the end. We often dock at THE ISLAND OF DOUBT, WORRY, and FEAR. Here, we are tempted to quit, not wanting to carry on. There is no stream that doesn't flow to The ISLAND OF GRIEF, where we are forced to pause, contemplate, and reassess. TEMPTATION ISLAND entices with attractions, promoting satisfactions that never materialize, and never ceases with its ever-binding distractions. And the stream journeys on before it becomes a clay bed, empty and dry. And there is SWITCH STATION ISLAND, offering tickets to turn back time. Deceiving the naive, it promises everything and gives nothing but aimless entertainment, as the stream flows along. 091321PSCtest, Islands In The Stream, Craig Cornish *https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ripcurrent.html Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer.