When my dad met me in the courtyard to walk me down the aisle at my wedding, his face was green—literally green.
In celebration of my pending nuptials he joined my groom-to-be and all of the groomsmen on a wedding-day deep-sea-fishing excursion. That’s how we learned that the deep sea is no place for my dad. He became so seasick that his skin looked green, even hours after the boat returned to the dock.
When I read about Paul’s sailing “adventures” in Acts 27–28, my dad’s seasick face comes to mind. As one often does when recounting something harrowing, the writer of these verses spares no detail. His descriptive words paint a picture of a trip gone terribly wrong: Dangerous. Disaster. Unsuitable. Fierce. Severely battered. Raging.
What my dad endured was nothing like what Paul and his companions went through. Yet we can all picture ourselves in the eye of a terrible storm. No, I’ve never been stuck at sea. I’ve never clung to a physical mast while winds and waves blocked the stars from my view, but I know how it feels to be storm tossed, to be pummeled by the tempests of life and wonder if I would survive. I think of the storm of my parent’s divorce. The storm of hearing that my child might not make it. The storm of painful church conflict. The storm of a severed friendship. The storm of cultural upheaval. The storm of my mother’s illness.
Because the storms keep raging, we all know how it feels when “all hope [is] fading that we [can] be saved” (Acts 27:20). As I consider the storm-tossed life, the story of Paul’s shipwreck tosses me a life raft of hope. Consider your own rough seas as you reflect on the passage below.
But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, and so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.
—Acts 27:43–44
Though the going is rarely easy, the Lord who commands the seas and the storms is always with us. Though we may be battered and bruised by our brokenness, still we can cling to hope in Christ. In every storm He is our anchor, and the storm-tossed life will not end with our ultimate demise. Today we can keep paddling homeward even if we’re only clinging to the planks of our hope. Because Christ has promised that one day we will safely reach heaven’s shore.
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96 thoughts on "The Storm-Tossed Ship"
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Thank you for encouraging words to remind me God is faithful!
Wow. I loved this story of hope and strength to endure. And it feels so relatable to personal storms that I’ve weathered. Feeling alone and hopeless. It’s easy to forget that God has us. Our safety net. Our anchor. Battered and bruised but alive through Jesus. So lucky are we regardless of our storm.
Oh goodness…I would not do well on a tossing ship at all. A crazy, swirling ski boat ride never used to bother me but now I can’t even manage going on an easy, leisurely day trip fishing with my husband so a stormy sea would do me in. We went whale watching a few years ago and I was nervous about that and thankfully did ok. In this life we live, we can’t pick our storms – if we aren’t in one now, chances are one is coming. Scripture tells us in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33). We have to be prepared, to be ready. We have to have prioritized, fostered and grown our relationship with Jesus. To be grounded in the truth of his word. To have spiritual practices and disciplines in place ( as a sidenote, any SRT sisters here remember the spiritual practices study we did a number of years ago in January to start off the new year? I LOVED that study!) as part of our every day rythym to help guide us thru the storm, to point us to the One who will reach out His hand to save us and walk with us. We have to know Jesus and His faithfulness so we can hold onto him in the storm. This has been so very, very true in my own life.
For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon his faithful ones. Psalm 37:28
Erin’s words are spot on…”In every storm He is our anchor, and the storm-tossed life will not end with our ultimate demise. Today we can keep paddling homeward even if we’re only clinging to the planks of our hope.”
We have to do all we can to know Jesus so we can hold onto Him – our hope, our strength, our peace, our guide, our anchor and our Savior. ❤️
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I’m playing catch up again! We have had visitors and though I try to keep up it is hard while doing 4 Bible studies.
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The devo is so good.
I am so touched reading today’s devotional and hearing ERIN’s heartfelt struggles. Our storms may not be as outwardly aggressive like what Paul went through, but the internal storms can be just as heavy, sometimes even more. I can’t help but thinking about what Jesus did when He was in a storm. He rested (Mark 4:38) in the boat when the storm raged. His rest showed complete confidence in the Father’s care, even when circumstances were violent and uncontrollable. And then He spoke with authority to the storm “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). We are called to be like Him for He is in us and we can do all things through HIM who gives us strength. I memorize this verse and speak out when I feel weak, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke 10:19). I hold this one close. May we rest in the storms, not through our own strength but through our trust in God, which sounds really hard to do with a natural mind, however, may we be spiritually minded. May we learn to calm our fearful heart through Scriptures and meditate on the unmatched power of God, and to command with authority for the chaos to calm (we have the authority), peace, be still, and use such moments to deepen our faith in God. Be blessed dear sisters.
Amen!
Peace, Be Still by John Finch is a beautiful and comforting song. I have shared it with several friends who were blessed by it.
Amen ❤️
Amen! ❤️
This was just what I needed to hear today. I am in the middle of a pretty hard battle right now. My husband is an alcoholic and he is working on his sobriety. Not his first time through rehab and I have grown very weary wondering if there is hope on the horizon. God is always present and moving.
Katarina – I have been through that with my husband and he is now 22 years sober. I’m praying for the both of you.
Praying for your husband’s freedom from the bondage and strength for you in supporting him.
Oh Katarina, how hard this must be. But there is always hope in Jesus! Keep the faith and trust and fervent praying for yourself- to be strong, have boundaries, loving with grace and I’m sure many more needs..forgiveness! Endurance! And prayers for your husband, freedom from bondage! Only God! But that’s enough!
Our family is also struggling with the pain of addiction. You are not alone. I feel for you and pray for your husbands sobriety.
I’m sorry you and your family are walking such an incredibly hard road. Have prayed for you❤️
Never give up hope Katarina. I have never left comments on here before but felt called to do so today as I’m catching up on readings. I was in your same situation 19 years ago. I fell to my knees daily asking God to intervene and make a change in my husband. I was completely at the end of my rope when God took over. My husband admitted he was an alcoholic and made a complete change. I lived in fear of him relapsing as I was pregnant with our child within 3 months of his sobriety (we had been trying for 2 years up to that point.God is so good) Miracles do happen and God is the change maker and chain breaker. My husband was sober for 17 years and realized he no longer has the same demons he was fighting. He can now have a drink every now and then with no issues. If someone told me this was how he would be I would have never believed it. I’m praying for you and your husband!
Great example of Gods plan and protection!
My song share was going to be “Praise You In The Storm”, but Cee Gee beat me to it! Haha :-) so my 2nd choice (but a beautiful song as well) is Ancient of Day, by CityAlight. If you’ve never heard it, give it a listen…
Verse 1
Though the nations rage
Kingdoms rise and fall
There is still one King
Reigning over all
So I will not fear for this truth remains:
That my God is the Ancient of Days
Chorus
None above Him, none before Him
All of time in His hands
For His throne it shall remain and ever stand
All the power, all the glory
I will trust in His name
For my God is the Ancient of Days
Verse 2
Though the dread of night
Overwhelms my soul
He is here with me
I am not alone
O His love is sure and He knows my name
For my God is the Ancient of Days
Chorus
None above Him, none before Him
All of time in His hands
For His throne it shall remain and ever stand
All the power, all the glory
I will trust in His name
For my God is the Ancient of Days
Verse 3
Though I may not see
What the future brings
I will watch and wait
For the Saviour King
Then my joy complete standing face to face
In the presence of the Ancient of Days
Chorus
None above Him, none before Him
All of time in His hands
For His throne it shall remain and ever stand
All the power, all the glory
I will trust in His name
For my God is the Ancient of Days
Tag
For my God is the Ancient of Days
Thank you for that song suggestion. I was not familiar with it but pulled it up on Spotify and will be playing it on repeat today.
Thank you, Sharon, for suggesting this new-to-me song! Beautiful! ❤☺❤
Great song share. So, so appreciate the faithful ministry and integrity of CityAlight. They are my favorite. ❤️
This was a really good devotional today by Erin Davis and I’m sure it resonated with all of us. Life is not a breeze. It is full of storms, small and big. Some detour us, and we get out of it finally but through a different direction than we hoped (could be worse OR better!). Others storms call for barring down, anchoring and sheltering the best we can and waiting. Do we get rid of the stuff hindering the weight? Should we? Is it important?
Other times we seek the shore and we grasp and hold on to any plank in our reach, praying for our lives! We cry out vehemently and drastically, terrified in these situations. Overwhelming fear and helplessness can overtake us and threaten to take us out. But Jesus. He is always with us to give peace during the storm. I always think of the song “Peace Be Still” by Hope Darst (and the version by Lauren Daigle is really good too!). No matter how hard our storm is, Jesus can give you peace but you must have faith and trust. Oftentimes this doesn’t come until you have some/many trials and errors under your belt of life. You see the times you DID trust.
This is why it’s important to have the word of God inside of us. God gives us all kinds of practice and opportunities. He is always drawing us to Him. But usually we deal with life ourselves as we go. But think of the trees that have to build their strong roots under the ground as they grow in height and width over the years. It’s such a great analogy of how the roots hold the tree up during the strong winds. It’s interesting here in SWF because our palms are different. They don’t have such root systems, but they are built to be bendy. They can withstand such storms and pop right back up. Is this better? No big branches to be (pruned) broken off? Palms they hold on and take the winds and storms and pop right back like a good Christ-follower can. Both are good—the choice is always being strong in our faith…standing on the rock! Build on a strong foundation! Seeking the Lord through our fear and frustration. Trusting in our brokenness, rejection, grief. Learning in the process. Listening to instructions. Keeping the lamp at our feet, one step at a time. Daily bread.
Our Jehovah Jireh provides. He protects, He sheilds. Thank You Father God, we thank you for all the times you protected us. You shelter under your wing. You are our peace in the Storm. You watch every sparrow, wouldn’t you do more for your child? Of course you would. You never leave or forsake us. You always meet anyone that seeks you. Even though we stray and try to do it on our own, the storms draw us back to you. That is a mercy and grace, Thank you in the Mighty name of Jesus!!
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“You never leave or forsake us” ❤️
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Very well said Erin Davis, thank you!
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This account of Paul’s journey, the adventure and excitement at sea, the shipwreck – always fascinates me, every time I read it! I love that Luke is so very detailed in his description, you can almost imagine being on board.
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We see God’s hand throughout this journey, from beginning to end. And even though there are some very “hairy” moments, not once does Luke mention that he or Paul were anxious or afraid – knowing that at any minute they were going to be tossed into the raging, cold sea…and all the while, Luke is writing down every detail!
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I would do well to remember Erin’s closing words: ” though we may be battered and bruised by our brokenness, still we can cling to hope in Christ. In every storm He is our anchor, and the storm-tossed life will not end with our ultimate demise…because Christ has promised that one day we will safely reach heaven’s shore.”
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I found some images to help me see and understand their journey a little better. I’ve posted them on the FB page, in case you are a visual learner like me.
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Many of you are aware of the ministry journey we have been on for these past 32+ years. These two passages, one from yesterday and one from today gave hope, comfort and encouragement to “keep on the course”.
Psalm 37:28 -For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon his faithful ones. They are kept safe forever…
Proverbs 2:7,8 – He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
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Happy Thursday She’s!❤️
Oh yes…Keep the course! I forgot about that option!! Yes, “keep the course” is a great phrase to remember!! Thank you for the Bible verses for that!! I am always keeping your church in my prayers and of course being YOUR MINISTRY!! It is your baby…to guard, protect, and raise up!!
Now I must go to FB page and see!!
“keep on the course” – amen sister. What great promises to hold on to, thank you for sharing. Praying for your ministry, and gardening rewards :))
Good word, Sharon! ❤
“Keep on the course”.
May the faithful presence and strength of the Lord carry your obedience to serve and minister.❤️
Someday…….
First time chiming in..
I am also struck with the fact that even though Paul had to endure the storms because they didn’t listen to him, he knew He would make it to Rome. But I wonder if he wondered “Why couldn’t I just get there? Why this way?”. I am one that just wants to get from point A to point B.
Why do I have to endure all the stuff in the middle?
I think of Paul’s shipmates and the folks of Malta who would not have heard of Jesus had the “stuff in the middle” had not happened. Sometimes, it’s not for us, but for others and the advancement of the Kingdom. And I am sure it strengthened Paul’s faith even more!
Lord let me have faith in the “middle” knowing your will cannot be thwarted and bless those around me in the meantime.
Kellie, so true and I love your prayer for
FAITH in the MIDDLE!!! ❤
Yes!! So good! Our detours are for us sometimes, and many times for others! How do we reflect Christ in our detours? Do we/I complain? (yes) Get mad, exhausted, anxious..yes. But we should use circumstances to point to God, fix something in us, or endure and persevere!!
Thanks for “chiming in” Kellie!
You’re so right about the “stuff in the middle”. Even though we can’t see it in the moment, there is purpose in the detours and purpose in the pain.
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Have a blessed Thursday! ❤️
When they were talking about today on the podcast, the guest said this was a reminder to allow “interruptions”. So that person at work that wants to talk even though I have so much work to do, or the clerk who wants to chat and i just want to get home, and on and on. We never know how God is going to use us.
The stuff in the middle are the trials, delays, interruptions, tribulations, legal battles, court appearances, persecutions, people’s mockery disbelief. It is hard and it is real. God tries His people. I heard the answer in a sermon, and here it is “tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed” (Romans 5:3-5). To live out this verse in real time through various stages of spiritual development is very painful. Transformation takes place through hardships. I wish it was easier sometimes.
Ahhh….faith in the middle. Yes. Thank you for sharing ❤️
God is protective of us, and He knows what is too much or not enough..He allows storms to grow and shape us, all out of love!
I usually post my comment before reading yours, but I deviated from that today. ☺
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One instance that involved a true storm and travel: about 46 years ago…yikes!…we were on a plane from Wisconsin to Tennessee when the fiercest lightning and thunder overtook us. As I held our 2 year old in my lap with the seatbelt fastened, it seemed we would not make it through.The turbulence was so bad our son was almost snatched out of my protective hold, but I held on tighter than before!
That’s the way we can trust God to hold on to us. When things seem hopeless, the Master of all hope holds us tightly not allowing us to be snatched from His arms!
Praise God for His protective hold on us!
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SONG SHARE:
I Will Praise You in the Storm- Casting Crowns
Nail-Scarred Hand (hymn)
first verse and chorus:
Have you failed in your plan of your storm-tossed life?
Place you hand in the nail-scarred hand;
Are you weary and worn from its toil and strife?
Place your hand in the nail-scarred hand.
Chorus:
Place your hand in the nail-scarred hand,
Place your hand in the nail-scarred hand;
He will keep to the end, He’s your dearest friend,
Place your hand in the nail-scarred hand.
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Love, hugs, and prayers! ❤
“When things seem hopeless, the Master of all hope holds us tightly not allowing us to be snatched from His arms! Praise God for His protective hold on us!” – Yes and Amen! He will never let us go!!
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You got to the song share first – I was going to share this same song! ❤️
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Oh my, that sounds really scary. Thank you for sharing.
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Throughout this trip, God protected and worked through Paul to ensure he survived to see Caesar- in spite of the poor choices made by the ship’s owner and crew, even after Paul’s warning and advice.
If only they had listened to Paul to start with, the ship may have been saved. Even so, all lives on the ship were spared and the people of Malta were blessed on this ill-fated journey.
How many times, sisters, how many times have we acted like the crew and owner? Going against godly wisdom and advice and making the wrong choice? As Christians, we can listen to the Holy Spirit and know in our hearts that we are leaning toward the wrong choice and we make it anyway. Are we ignoring godly advice from friends and family? Not feeling brave enough to make the better choice?
My list of those times is long and I’m praying daily to be, as the saying goes, older and wiser as I seek to walk in God’s will – choosing to do things God’s way rather than the wrong way. Even making what I consider to be the worst choice of my past (choosing the easy way rather than God’s right way), God has walked me through the days and years since and blessed me in spite of that decision, with life’s twists and turns bringing me to where I am today. Was there a more well charted course to get here? No doubt. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and grace.
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MERCY ❣️ The blessing and provision of God in the bounty of your garden – wow.
CEE GEE ❤️ love your answers to Bailey’s challenge questions.
SHARON JERSEY GIRL ❤️ “A changed life speaks for itself, but we can share how God made it possible.”
SUSAN BURLEY- praying for Seth ❤️
TINA ❤️ thank you for the beautiful testimony shared yesterday, and I hope your time with your friend blessed you both
Great testimony, sister! ❤
How many times….? Good question, Searching. Thank you for your thoughts ❤️
Yes Searching, I, too, look back with regrets that I did it my way rather than God’s! Yes, we can repent, and he forgives and blessed, but there is still consequences from our choices. His way is always the right way and can save us from many heartaches and troubles. And sin affects everyone even though we think it is only ourselves, it spreads. Through our families, friendships, and invisible to us places. Paul explains that a little leaven affects the whole batch.
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I loved Paul’s little, “you should have listened to me” speech, but then quickly gives all the credit to God.
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“How many times, sisters, how many times have we acted like the crew and owner?” – Probably more times than we can count! But praise God for His amazing grace and mercy that is new each morning!
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Happy Thursday Searching! ❤️
I love this Searching. Great question to ponder, “how many times have I acted like the crew?” Too many!
Thank you for sharing such thoughtful reflections, sister. Your comments and the others shared alongside them really gave me a lot to think. Seeking God’s way truly is the wisest path, though it often requires courage and a willingness to step into the unknown. I realize how naturally we tend to choose what feels safe. Someone once gently told me to “buckle my seatbelt” when following God, and only much later did I begin to understand what they meant. It can feel like a roller coaster at times, and I’ll admit, I’m not the best with roller coasters either (motion sickness, transition grief), but I’m still learning to trust Him even in the movement. He is good, and all things will work out for our good.
I feel like I have several storms all happening around me at once, and they are so loud I’m struggling to hear God’s voice and feel his peaceful presence.
Lord , you know my storms please allow me to feel the comfort of your presence as I navigate them. Amen.
Lord, praying You quiet and calm the storms Jillian is facing and surround her with Your peace. amen.
Yes, they seem to come about like that- I am glad that Paul has them all come like that as well to show us, God still has him. He has you as well Jillian.
Lord cover Jillian as she puts on the Shield of Faith and Sword of the Spirit today! And all the armor!
Praying for you this morning Jillian. He sees, He knows.
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“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10 ❤️
Praying for you Jillian. ❤️
Praying for your strength to endure and peace in the storm. The Lord is with you and will help you through. Have faith in Him.
Anen
Psalm 37:28 “The Lord loves justice and does not abandon his faithful ones.”
This verse is like a summary of Acts 27–28.
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Paul:
Is unjustly imprisoned.
Is caught in a violent storm.
Is bitten by a snake.
Yet God does not abandon him.
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This psalm reminds me that God’s faithfulness is not always visible in comfort, but it is visible in preservation and purpose.
Yes, an important reminder and perspective regarding God’s faithfulness.
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I felt promoted to listen to My Lighthouse by Rend Collective. It was perfect.
I love this song.
Great song- it’s been a while since I’ve heard it so will take a listen today❤️
Great song!
Amen
I was seasick on a whale watching boat for an hour, without the fear of it sinking. It blows my mind what Paul went through.
Yes, we so quickly can read through the scripture without it really resonating how horrible all these things Paul went through were. Until we experience things it’s hard to have empathy or true connection.
Amen. Thank You Father God.
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Amen❤️
In this world you will have trouble, but Jesus has overcome and will be with us to overcome as well!
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MELISSA VANDIVER – continued prayers for relief from the mental storms Cerah and Shane are facing.
Thank you for your prayers. I know the Lord hears and is faithful.
Amen, Kelly.
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God’s promise never changes. He will never leave you!
Erin Davis, I felt every word of truth you wrote!
This last paragraph, however, pushed me overboard in an ever hope-filled way.
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Though the going is rarely easy, the Lord who commands the seas and the storms is always with us. Though we may be battered and bruised by our brokenness, still we can cling to hope in Christ. In every storm He is our anchor, and the storm-tossed life will not end with our ultimate demise. Today we can keep paddling homeward even if we’re only clinging to the planks of our hope. Because Christ has promised that one day we will safely reach heaven’s shore.
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BUT GOD.
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AMEN.
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Happy Thursday my peeps! Love and great hugs across the pond..❤️
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Cling to Jesus and to our hope in Him, Amen!
Cling is one of CEE GEE’s words that popped up everywhere for her a while back if I’m remembering correctly.
Amen! ❤
YES!! Cling to “our” Jesus!! Love you sweet Tina!
Amen! Well said Tina. ❤️
Beautiful ❤️
Totally secular, but it reminds me of Dory from “Finding Nemo”. To quote her… “Just keep swimming!”…
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Keep on keeping on, Sweet She’s. Even (especially) when the storm is raging!
My girl loved Nemo. Thank you for the reminder, Adrienne.❤️
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I think of this too. I love this sweet movie, what great courage of a tiny fish venturing out to the big ocean when hope seems so small.