Survivor

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small,
uninhabited island.   He prayed feverishly for God to rescue
him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none
seemed forthcoming.
 
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of
driftwood to protect himself from the elements and to store his
few possessions.
 
One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to
find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.
The worst had happened; everything was lost.

He was stunned with grief and anger.

"God, how could you do this to me?"  He cried.
 
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a
ship that was approaching the island.  It had come to rescue
him.

"How did you know I was here?"
asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
 
It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad.
But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our
lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering.

Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground it
just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.