Acts 27:27-32

Acts 27:27-32
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There are always people interested in getting out early.  Unconcerned about the community, they notice an alternative that seems like an easier way and seek to slide out under some pretense, perhaps slipping out the back door never to return, unwilling to be a part of a solution to whatever problem the community is facing.  Unfortunately, what often happens is that these people end up in peril as well, just as these sailors who were trying to slip away in the small boat would likely have ended up in greater peril in a small boat in the storm.
  So it's worth noting here that we are called to remain together in difficult times.  God calls us into community, and we work together to move forward through problems. It's certainly not easy, but it makes us so much stronger, and gives a more complete witness to the community.  We have to be selfless and gracious and humble, and we don't always get our way.  It's easier for a time to be on our own, but we miss out on the richness of learning other points of view.  We miss out on the love and support that comes with a community, but this comes with a cost.  People are complicated, but God is always teaching us that we gain far more than we lose by being richly involved in one another's lives and learning and growing as we deepen our sense of community, learning more about how God interacts in the Trinity, which is constantly filled with selfless love.