Don't Quit, It's Just Quicksand!

Recently I read about quicksands and it said that the force required to extract a foot out of the quicksand is 10000 Newtons which equals the force needed to lift an average family car. If such be the force required to rescue, then imagine the plight of the one who gets stuck in it. When every bit of energy is focused towards just one goal of the moment - that of getting out of the quicksand there is nothing else that one can think about. At this difficult moment trying to lift up or pull out the person will only result in the person getting sucked more into the quicksand because of the displacement of sand.

Same is the case in life, when we face the quicksands of a loss of job, loss of a loved one, disappointment in relationships, disease, loss of finance, loss of health etc. When things do not go the way we want, we feel lost, lonely, disappointed and defeated. We feel like a victim of all the woes put together and get into a depression. Well, these are part of life and they come in order to test our mettle. What are we really made up of? Where does our strength lie? When storms blow how do we cope up?

One of my recent disappointments was to know that the one I depended upon was the one who had pulled the rug from under. Looking deeper we observe that often, it is those we have trusted so much who have let us down. Most of the times the ones we know so well are the ones who play games behind our backs to disappoint us. It hurts very deeply to know that someone we thought of as "trustworthy" has broken that trust. We get trapped into a sinkhole of helplessness and look for something that is really trust worthy, truly lasting and unshakable - an anchor that will truly hold.

The good news is, that it is found that one cannot drown in a quick sand though he can be trapped. What is important is, what we do in such times? They say it is the panic and the thrashing that makes us sink. But relaxing, keeping a cool head and spreading our hands and feet helps us to float. In fact they say it is easier to float in a quicksand than in water. All we need to do is "Relax".

Relax and do what? Look beyond yourself. I guess here is where our search needs to be beyond our human paradigms - to the spiritual. God sometimes allows us to go through such situations so that we will just spread out our hands to Him and trust Him solely, and not on any human being. He wants us to just relax in Him, casting every care on Him. God is not a sadist to allow us to get stuck in the slime. But He allows them for us to beware of being earthly minded which can get us into wrong places and such sticky situations. We need to be looking up to the One - our Help in ages past whom we quickly forget and ignore so easily!!

These quick sands can be a call to let go and let God. Casting our cares on Him means throwing them upon Him. Throwing them at His feet and taking our hands off is so important. Only when we take off our hands can God do something to guide us back to the path He set for us. Disappointments are God's appointments. "Quick sands are there to prove His quick hands."