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DEADSURE 4'?m1f Monologue: salvation, truth, cults

I learned a big life-lesson during my vacation. Oddly, the 
source of my lesson was a rented sail boat.

While I was vacationing in a remote ocean-side village, I rented
a sailboat for the day. I wasn't an expert at sailing, but it
didn't take me long to master this little craft as I sailed
along the rugged undeveloped coastline. Actually, I was getting
rather good at it, if I do say so myself. It seemed for a while
that I was actually sailing faster than the wind!

I was not familiar at all with the coastline, so when I sailed
past an unfamiliar point of land and looked ahead at what looked
like a large unfamiliar island, I decided that my thrill ride
was probably over and I should head back before I get lost among
the islands.

Then, just as I was turning back, the wind stopped. Dead calm.
Within a few minutes, the water suddenly became as smooth as
glass. My sail boat was dead in the water. It was at that moment
that I remembered how uncomfortably hot the day was, as I began
sweating profusely again. The wind was no longer evaporating my
sweat.

I was hot and I was thirsty and I was a mile from shore. And I
didn't have an ore or a paddle in the boat. Mind you, I'm not
one to panic. But after an hour adrift without moving ten feet,
I began to think of reasons why I should ignore all those
warnings against drinking sea water. "Water, water everywhere
but not a drop to drink."

After TWO hours, I gave up hope that the sail would ever catch
any wind. So, I pulled down the sail, (sits, crosses arms,
covers shoulders with hands) I laid down on the floor of the
boat and covered myself with the sail and prepared to fall
asleep for the last time. I was sure that they would find my
dehydrated body in three or four days. They could trace the boat
to the motel and notify my next of kin. What would they put on
my head stone? Who would inherit my CD collection?

Just then, I heard a motor. (straightens, looks left and right)
I sat up and looked around. It was a small row boat with a small
outboard motor. He was coming across from the big island across
the way

(waves hands, shouts) Ahoy, there. Ahoy, there. Ahoy.

(stops) He didn't see me.

(stands, waves hands, shouts more vigorously) Help! Help me!

(smiles) He saw me. He's headed this way. (shouts) Ahoy!

He shouted. (shouts, imitates) "You in trouble?"

(shouts) Yes. The wind died down. I'm dead in the water.

(shouts, imitates) I'll give you a tow.

(looks to sky, whispers) Thank you. (shouts) You got any water?

He shouted. (shouts, imitates) There's water all around you.

(shouts) No. I mean, do you have any water TO DRINK?

(shouts, imitates) This is the mouth of a river. It's fresh
water.

(shouts) You mean I can drink (points down) this?

(shouts, imitates) Yes. I drink it all the time.

(shouts) You mean, (points) that's not an island out there?

(shouts, imitates) No. That's the river bank on the opposite
side.

(sighs) Imagine that. I was prepared to die of thirst while I
was floating on a lifetime supply of fresh water! What I had
ASSUMED to be true could have cost me my life!

Well, when I got back home, I began questioning OTHER things I
had accepted unquestioningly, ASSUMING them to be true. For
instance, I reexamined my assumptions about Jesus.

Because of my religious and cultural upbringing, I had always
ASSUMED that there was only one thing I knew for sure about
Jesus: that he was definitely NOT the messiah prophesied in the
Scriptures. I mean, I thought EVERYBODY knew that!

But when I actually read the scriptures, Jesus fit every
prophecy about the messiah: his place and date of birth, his
miracles, the way he was killed, even his resurrection.

Here I was, floating on an eternity of living water and I was
dying of thirst.

It all goes to show you: what you think you know could be fatal.

©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use:
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