Lynn Jones: Stability In The Storms Of Life
By Lynn Jones
On a vacation several years ago, Danielle and I visited Bellingrath Gardens near Mobile, Alabama. Walter and Bessie Bellingrath began work on these gardens in the late 1920’s. The gardens were first opened to the public in 1932.
The centerpiece of the gardens is the Bellingrath home, which is surrounded by flowers and flowing water. The water runs through channels made of flagstone. Flagstones are rocks that are flat and are often used as paving stone. There is no flagstone around Mobile, however, so from where did this stone come?
The flagstone of Bellingrath has its own history. In the early days of Mobile, many ships from Europe came to this new port on trading journeys. They often brought finished goods from Europe and then loaded raw materials for their ships to transport on their return journeys. In the holds of many of these ships, they carried flagstone as ballast for stability on the long trans-Atlantic voyage. When they carried a heavier load home, they would often discard the flagstone in Mobile. Mobile took advantage of having so many of these flat stones available and paved their streets with them. Later, when the streets were paved with smoother concrete, they removed the flagstones, and Mr. Bellingrath bought many of them for use in building his new garden. So, the stones that grace the garden now, made a long journey from Europe, by way of the streets of Mobile, to the gardens of Bellingrath.
When you look at the beautiful channels of water flowing through this flagstone at Bellingrath, you can’t help but think of the days when the stones served a more utilitarian purpose—providing ballast for ships.
Ballast is critical for the stability of a ship. In 1676, Sweden launched the Kronan, her greatest battleship. The ship was so top-heavy with all her armaments, however, that she capsized and sank. Without the proper ballast, the Kronan’s brief career ended in disaster. Life is like that. We need something deep within us that will give us stability and balance in life–something that will keep us from capsizing in the storms of life.
When John Wesley came to America as a young man, there was a Christian group called the Plymouth Brethren on board his ship. When the ship was caught in a storm, Wesley was very frightened, but he was impressed by the faith and calmness of the Plymouth Brethren. He was convinced that they had something that he did not have, and it was one of the things that led to his conversion when he returned to England.
Jesus and His disciples were caught in a fierce storm on the Sea of Galilee, but Jesus was unafraid. In fact, He slept until his frightened disciples woke Him, and He calmed the storm. He can give you that kind of peace and stability in the storms of life.
Lynn Jones is a retired pastor who lives in Oxford. He does supply preaching for churches in his area and often serves as an interim pastor. Jones is also an author, has written two books and writes a weekly newspaper column. He may be contacted at: kljones45@yahoo.com.