Lessons learned from Noah's Ark

1.  Don’t miss the boat. To live life, you have got to show up. There is an entire group of people who have checked out on this world. They don’t understand the concept of being in the right place at the right time. Timing is everything. Attendance is everything. Poor timing or poor attendance will cause you to miss many boats that you need to be on.

2.  Remember that we are all in the same boat. At the same time we are seeking to become independent, we need to recognize we are interdependent. The problems each of us face are also being faced by most of mankind. Sometimes we think we are the only one experiencing our difficult challenges. God places friends and family in our lives to help us through difficult times. Sometimes they carry you and sometimes you carry them. Either way, we are all in this together.

3.  Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. If you are not prepared when an opportunity presents itself, the opportunity will be missed. We need to live lives that are proactive, not reactive. Many people spend their entire lives responding to situations as they occur rather than taking responsibility and creating the situation they want to be in.

4.  Stay fit. When you’re 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. God gave you one body. Your entire life will be lived in the body you have. Have you ever thought of it that way? Physical health will improve your mental health. Exercise your body as well as your mind and both will prepare you in the event you are called upon to do something great in your later years.

5.  Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. Much of this world doesn’t want you to accomplish the job that you need to do. When you start rising up, others will seek to pull you down. I don’t understand this aspect of human nature.  We should be springboards for others, helping them to jump to new heights, not anchors that hold others down. Constructive critics can be springboards; but don’t let destructive critics hold you back.

6.  Build your future on high ground. What is important here is to select in advance carefully where you build your foundation. Where your foundation is built will determine what happens when the bad weather comes. It doesn’t matter how solid your structure is above the foundation, if it is built in a weak location or on a weak foundation, it will not last. I like the saying, “Bloom where you are planted.” Our challenge is to chose carefully where we are planted. It will determine our future.

7.  For safety’s sake, travel in pairs. Everyone needs a friend. God did not make us to each live independently. None of us are self sufficient. By creating man and woman, God made us to live life in pairs. Life can be difficult enough to move through with a support group of friends. We will all trip and fall from time to time.  When you fall, is there someone there to help you up? Are you available when a friend of yours falls and needs a hand to get back on her feet? In this world, pairs are better than solos.

8.  Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. There is more to life than increasing its speed. This is one that I especially struggle with. The challenge is to make it to your destination. Once the destination is set, it is the journey that is important. The snails may not move quickly, but they made it on board. A tortoise can beat a hare despite its slow pace if it stays focused and persistent. Other characteristics can make up for and overcome a slow pace.

9.  When you’re stressed, float awhile. How often do you feel stressed? How do you cope with stress? Sometimes a relaxing float is all we need to get reset and prepared for more stress ahead. It is okay to float from time to time. Good stress allows us to accomplish great things. Failure to float can make good stress into bad stress that does more harm than good. Have stress in your life, but don’t forget to float from time to time.

10.  Remember, the ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. The key here is that the ark was built with divine intervention. Noah had an awesome partner when he built the ark. God’s role in creating the ark made all of the difference. An amateur with God is better than the best there is without God. It is really that simple.

11.  No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting. It is always darkest just before it begins getting light. You can tell the true character of an individual by how he handles his darkest hours. There are storms that will occur in each of our lives. We can’t control the storms. God can. And He knows what He is doing. When the storms hit, it is our hope for the future that will carry us through. With God’s help be looking for the rainbow and then when you find it remember God made it.

In the full story of Noah, his ark, God’s promises and the rainbow are accounted for in the Bible in Genesis chapters six, seven, eight, and nine. In Genesis 9:16 we are told, “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

My challenge to you today is to simplify rather than complicate. Keep trivial things trivial. Break down complicated matters into small bite size pieces.  Then have a feast! If you make every decision a life or death decision, you will die many times.

Follow the 11 lessons and remember when you are in the middle of a storm, there is always the hope for a rainbow.

Just a thought ...

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Rick Kraft is a local attorney, a syndicated columnist for 24 years, and the Executive Director of the Leadership Roswell Program for 33 years. To submit comments, contributions or ideas, e-mail to rkraft@kraftlawfirm.org or write to P.O. Box 850, Roswell, NM, 88202-0850. The views expressed in this column are those of the author.