The lifeline you need to survive and thrive.
On 8 May 1965, Carl Robert Disch, a National Bureau of Standards scientist working in Antarctica, disappeared, never to be seen again. Stories vary as to why he left the noise building toward the main station but what is definitive is that he was very familiar with that path. No stranger to the way, Disch often walked the 7,000 feet from the main station to the noise building using a “handline.”
These handlines were ropes or guidelines that connected two buildings or locations in the event of a whiteout. These “lifelines” safely keep people on the right path during whiteout conditions where visibility is minimal, if any. Unfortunately, that night, for reasons unknown, Disch decided he would not use the handline.
Rescue teams discovered this fact when after about forty-five minutes, they headed out to search for Disch when he didn’t arrive at the main station. Almost an hour an a half later, they picked up his trail leading west of the station toward the southwest corner of the skiway, a distance of about 4 miles. Low on fuel, they returned to the station to refuel and then tried to resume their search. However, winds blowing 25 to 30 knots had wiped out the trail by that time.
Sadly, they pronounced Disch dead after many days and failed search attempts. His fellow men and friends in Antarctica and relatives in his hometown held memorial services for him.
This tragic event reminds us that we, too, have a lifeline designed to safely guide us through life’s dangers. This handline or lifeline is the Bible. Contrary to what many men believe, the Bible is not a set of harsh rules that restrict or limit us. Instead, the Bible is a safety line, a lifeline that helps us stay on the right path.
Take time to rethink the Bible as a survival tool instead of something meant to suppress. When you do, you’ll never let go because it’s the lifeline you need to survive and thrive.
Daily Directive:
Answer and Journal the Following
FAITH
Pray:
First pray for insight and understanding of God’s word. Then and most importantly, how to apply it.
Read:
Proverbs 6:20-23
My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they[a] will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
FIRE
Echo:
Contemplate and meditate on or memorize the passage. What is God saying to you?
Show:
How will you apply this to your life ?
FURY
Share:
How will you share what you learned with others?