Are you at Platinum Status?

Last updated on: October 12, 2023 at 9:30 am by Faith E. Richardson

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Are you at Platinum Status? 2023-08-22T14:20:08-06:00 Faith E. Richardson

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Cruise Ship

Calamity hands out tickets for the Hardship Cruise Line. Faith Richardson/Photographer

I’d much prefer to cruise on the Disney Wish, but let’s face it, we’ve all taken a ride on the Hardship Cruise Line. We don’t even have to buy tickets, but boy do we pay. For reasons beyond my comprehension, we often ride the Hardship more than once, sometimes making Platinum status. Meaning we’ve reached more than 70 hours at sea. Some may feel like they never get off. It’s the part of life nobody enjoys, but we all endure. Jesus tells us, “In this world, you will have trouble” (John 16:33 TLB).

Calamity is Captain of the Hardship Cruise Line

Calamity loves handing out her tickets and inviting all to board her vessel. And every ticket looks very different. A terminal diagnosis devastates a family. A mass shooting kills several. A tornado destroys a whole city. An earthquake shakes a nation. Whatever ticket you may receive, remember to pack your essentials and board the ship with your head held high.

Since it’s inevitable that we all ride the Hardship Cruise Line, being prepared for the journey is more crucial than ever. Knowing Calamity’s goal is to distract you from what God has called you to do should be the focus. Don’t allow her to win.

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

Listen for God’s voice and follow Him wholeheartedly. Ask for Holy Spirit to throw you a lifeboat. It’s the only way to make it out safely at the end of the journey. When others witness your survival, they too will follow suit.

The journey will have rough waters. Waves so high the Hardship rocks and flips your insides upside down. When Calamity gives you more than you can stand, kneel. The Disney Wish Cruise line traveling at 30 knots can come to a stop in just 9 minutes. Prayer, spoken in power, can stop a mighty vessel in an instant! Don’t underestimate our God. He is a force to be reckoned with.

Once Calamity realizes you cannot be distracted, she decreases her speed. This journey or the vessel on which you’re traveling no longer matters because you never took your eyes off Jesus.

When the Cruise ship docks at the end of your journey, Peace and Grace collect your luggage and lead you to deck three to disembark. Your friends and family waiting to take you home send a thrill up your spine. As you exit the Hardship Cruise, you turn back to get a long look at the ship, wink at Calamity, and head down the gangway.

The Fallen World

Because we live in this fallen world, Calamity will pay us a visit. Most likely more than once. She will hand out tickets and invite you to ride on her Hardship Cruise. There’s no getting around it.

The good news is this is all temporary. The Hardship Cruise Line will soon decay, be decommissioned, and be sent to the scrapyard because Jesus already overcame the world.

**Have you taken a ride on the Hardship Cruise Line? I sure have!

Comment below and share how your voyage changed you.

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About Faith E. Richardson

Faith E. Richardson was born in Traverse City, Michigan. She lived there nine short years before moving with her mom to Fort Worth, Texas where she would remain for another eighteen years. After meeting Trent, the love of her life, they married and moved to Colorado where they raised their two children. Currently retired from decades of human resource work, Faith renewed her passion for writing. Her life experiences and dramatic flair for storytelling draw the reader in with thought-provoking material on the wonder and truth of spiritual encounters. It’s her desire to get her readers as excited about the Holy Spirit as she is. You can read more about the author here.

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