Get Out of the Boat: A Journey to What Your Soul Longs For

By Susan Alford Ashcraft

It won't be easy, but it will be simple.

Are you struggling with uncertainty, shame, rejection, or loneliness? Are you wrestling with your value and worth?

Are you troubled in your relationships?

Do you feel unloved? 

Living a life like this is exhausting. All the ups, downs, lefts, and rights event

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Sep 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685569242

Susan Alford Ashcraft

The imaginations and spiritual lives of the Alford sisters were ignited by listening to their grandparents' stories of angels, demons, and the power of supernatural gifts. Susan, a university professor of psychology, Lesley, a pastor, and Candy, a graphic artist, combined their gifts of writing, storytelling, and illustrating to create the compelling Descendants of Light series.

Book preview

S_Alford_Ashcroft_5.5x8.5_Cover_Front.jpg

Get Out of the Boat

A Journey to What Your Soul Longs For

Susan Alford Ashcraft, PhD

Trilogy Christian Publishers

Tustin, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive

Tustin, CA 92780

Get Out of the Boat: A Journey to What Your Soul Longs For

Copyright © 2022 by Susan Alford Ashcraft PhD

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com

For information, address Trilogy Christian Publishing

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/ TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-68556-923-5

E-ISBN: 978-1-68556-924-2)

Contents

Dedication v

It Won’t Be Easy, But It Will Be Simple vii

Get Out of the Boat 1

Look in the Mirror 17

Unpack Your Suitcase 30

Ask Tough Questions 44

Let Down Your Hair 60

Play the Waiting Game 76

Watch Out for Traps 89

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark 103

Pass the Test 118

Follow the Map 130

Write Your Love Song 149

Become a Warrior Heroine 164

Step onto the Shore 173

References & Resources 177

Dedication

For Kaity and Cara, remarkable women, who are altogether lovely, and none compare.

And for Del, God knew.

It Won’t Be Easy, But It Will Be Simple

The journey to what your soul longs for…

Nine little words, nothing fancy or extraordinary about them when we consider them individually. But, when they are strung together to make a phrase, these simple words become quite significant. These words create meaning, illustrate purpose, and communicate emotion. They represent a place, a time, and a destination.

Words have always been important to me. They wield incredible power in our lives, whether we recognize it or not. Words reveal the truth. They can also create lies. Words can invoke happiness, laughter, and acceptance. And yet, they can also lead us to experience great sorrow and pain. Words can bring us peace, but they can also readily destroy us in mind and spirit. Words bring people together and tear them apart. Words are potent and formidable in their ability to shape us—our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

The word I consider to be the most compelling word in scripture is beloved. Found multiple times in both the Old and New Testaments, beloved comes from two root words in Hebrew, meaning to breathe and to long for. In the original Greek, the word used for beloved means to prefer. It is the word used, repeatedly, to declare God’s infinite love for His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Numerous passages of scripture cite the word beloved as a representation of God’s love for His people. It is beautiful, awe-inspiring, and sacred. The term beloved signifies God’s love for His chosen—His daughters—you and me.

I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.

Song of Songs 6:3

When God calls us His beloved, it literally means that He longs for us—we are His breath—He prefers us—we are His. He loves us unconditionally beyond our comprehension. God loves us completely and without reservation. He loves us simply for who we are, not for who we can or will be. He loves us as He loves His Son. We are His beloved.

It’s difficult to wrap your mind around this reality. This message of God’s love for us can be difficult to hear amid the noise around us, and even harder to accept. I know it was for me. Because the world we live in today is almost void of this pure expression of love, we believe we can only be loved for what do or how we look, or how we make another person feel. We believe we must earn love. Nothing could be farther from the truth! This type of love is based on contingency. It is a selfish love built on giving and taking—a love that feels more like a commodity than a gift. You must do something, give something, or be something, to trade for someone’s love, affirmation, or even acceptance. Worldly love, however, is not the love God, our Father, our Creator, has for us. Thank goodness!

God’s love is categorically and completely given to us because we are His unique creation. We don’t have to earn it. We already have it! From the moment we are created until we breathe our last breath and even beyond, we are beloved by Him. He sees us. He values us. He cares for us. He loves and adores us. And our souls long to believe these truths. My soul—your soul—longs to be loved.

The moment I had this beautiful realization was the moment I began my own journey to finding what my soul had always longed for. It wasn’t easy. Change never is. Growth can sometimes be painful and awkward. Moving from one place or state of mind to another requires effort and desire. And yet, it is worth every step.

They say teachers are the worst students! They, whoever they are, may be right. It sure did take me a while to learn and I had the best teacher of all: God my Father, my Creator, my Beloved. He is the ultimate professor in the classroom of life. Fortunately, our professor gave us a textbook for this life course: The Holy Bible, His Word, our guidebook to becoming His beloved in every way. His words are true. His words are steady, secure, and eternal just like his love for us.

Will you join me in this adventure into the unknown to finally discover the known?

Beloved, the journey to what your soul longs for won’t be easy, but it will be simple. Let’s go.

Get Out of the Boat

I went out west on a road trip with my husband. We flew out to Washington state, rented a car, and drove 2,800 miles through seven states visiting the great national parks of our country. It was amazing. I’ve never seen a country so big and wide, especially Montana. If you have ever driven out that way, you know the towns are far apart and you can go miles without passing another car. We talked and listened to 80’s music and audiobooks to pass the time.

Now as a kid, traveling with my parents, before iPads, smartphones, Spotify, and little screens in minivans playing movies, we would have to get creative to pass the time on long road trips. My family liked to sing, loudly and with lots of feeling to be sure. Anyway, as the firstborn, I liked to lead and then my sisters would join in, and we would have a round. My favorite was a song about a little boat. You probably know it, Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream. Rowing a boat down a stream? Merrily? Sounds like a lot of work to me!

I want us to spend a few minutes talking about boats. I think there is much we can learn from them. And I want to start with a wonderful story found in the Book of Matthew. It’s about a certain boat. The vessel was filled with a group of twelve men, who were rowing as hard and as fast as they could. But a powerful storm was making their journey far from merry or dreamy for that matter.

Now Jesus had just fed the 5,000 by multiplying the loaves and fishes—a really cool miracle. It was a time of great celebration, but now after they had eaten and cleaned up, Jesus told His disciples to get into the boat and go across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. He told them He would meet them later on the other side.

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, It’s a ghost! But Jesus spoke to them at once. Don’t be afraid, he said. Take courage. I am here!

Matthew 14: 22-27 (NLT)

Let’s look more closely at this passage. The boat the disciples are in is a long way from land. It’s 6-7 miles across the Sea of Galilee and it’s 3 a.m.! They had started their journey right after dinner. Basically, these fishermen have been furiously rowing their boat for about 8-9 hours and they have only made it about ½ way across a 7-mile expanse of water. This was no merry stream!

Why? Because a storm has beaten, battered, and thrashed" their boat. They must have been exhausted and ready to give up. And to make matters worse, the disciples think they see a ghost.

Have you ever been afraid? I mean really afraid. I mean you can’t breathe, you want to run, but your legs won’t move and besides that, there’s nowhere to go. It’s that I Know What You Did Last Summer afraid! That’s exactly what the disciples felt. All night they have been pummeled by the wind and water. And now they are seeing ghosts? They must have been asking themselves if they were going crazy? If they would make it? Would they sink? Would they die?

Then they realize: it’s not a ghost at all. It’s Jesus, their rabbi, striding across the water.

Then Peter called to him, Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water. Yes, come, Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. Save me, Lord! he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. You have so little faith, Jesus said. Why did you doubt me? When they (Peter and Jesus) climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. You really are the Son of God! they exclaimed.

Matthew 14:28-32

Peter is exhausted, weary, and weak. He has been rowing for hours. He is afraid. There is a storm, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t manage or conquer it. And he is a fisherman by trade! My goodness, sailing is what he does for a living. But, throughout the long hard night, Peter has failed to change his situation. When Peter recognizes Jesus, all he wants to do is be with Him. He’s not sure how he will get to Jesus. He