Pirates of the Crab-n-Bean

Have you ever been Crab Fishing? Probably not. Now imagine, to your parent’s disapproval (and perhaps even to your own), you decide to pursue a career as a Crab Fisherman/Fisherwoman. You’re courageous, you’re witty, and you know exactly where to look for those snappy crabs. You decide to build your own crabbing empire and begin your plans on crafting your first ship – The Flying Crabman. You love going on adventurous voyages to capture the mightiest of those Crabs, and inevitably you and your crewmen earn the infamous nickname – Pirates of the Crab-n-Bean. As the months pass, you are unsatisfied and you crave for more adventure and fame – the crabs you are currently catching just don’t cut it anymore. You decided to fulfil your exhilarant dreams by hunting the most dangerous of all the Crabs – The Black Crab (some of your fellow fishermen say they are a myth, but you know better). It only takes you a matter of weeks to catch this infamous Black Crab. You haul it onto the deck of your boat, and suddenly, the unexpected happens… The Curse of the Black Crab. You and your crewmen are doomed! You then decide to jump into a lifeboat and save yourself while your crew fights off the curse, giving you enough time to escape. You sail a few hundred yards and stop to watch as your most precious ship The Flying Crabman - the work of your life - burns down in flames along with your crew. 

That’s okay. You don’t sit there crying about your life’s work. You decided to move… sail… forward in life! Except you have one small problem. You have no idea where you are. Fortunately, when you were in your first year of undergrad, you decided to consult your seniors on possible “bird courses”, and they had suggested Astronomy. Lucky you! So you gazed upon the stars of the sky and plotted your course home! Morning arrives and yet you do not see any land or any sign that help will come. Hours pass by, and thick clouds cover the skies as far as you can see. You start to doubt and start second guessing your initial calculations. You are hungry and thirsty, and hours turn into days. Your faith in your first course of action starts to decrease and doubt increases. WILL IT EVER COME? That question plays over and over again in your mind…

And then you wake up from your nightmare (mostly disappointed that you haven’t had a dream in many months, but now that you have, you had chosen to be a Crab Fisherman out of all the careers in the world) … and realize it’s actually Advent! Oh great, more waiting! WILL IT EVER COME? Why do we have to wait? Why do we have to wait for the Nativity of Jesus? Why do we have to wait for Jesus’ second coming? Why can’t it just… happen!? Let’s face it, there is no point even asking these questions because none of us know the answers. In your nightmare, when you were on the lifeboat waiting for the shoreline, did you notice something? You had no answers! No answers to any of your questions regardless of how many times you pondered on them. You had no idea how far away the shore line was. Fortunately, you did have one thing – the stars in the sky. 

God always give us guidance (stars), but we have to look for them. The world always gives us trouble (clouds), and we have to overcome them. This advent season, sail forward (Philippians 3:14)! Look for the stars, plot your course, overcome your troubles (John 16:33), and tear down all your doubts (Luke 24:38). It’s really that simple. Stop waiting, and start sailing :)