Stay On Course

• Noah warned his neighbors of the deadly flood, but they wouldn't believe him and later perished.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Noah's neighbors did more than ignore his pleas that the world would end in a flood: They mocked him during every step he took in building his ark. Noah withstood the criticism and continued working, having struck his deal with God with only a promise to finish the ark with no questions asked. Noah did not buckle to the peer pressure. He followed through on his plan, completing the task as instructed. Though he did not fit in with his community, he took action and kept on task. Also note that God only chose Noah for the mission because of his "righteous" reputation. Noah was a good man in corrupt times. He did not follow the crowd.
  
  

The Buddy System

• Noah's instructions to gather animals in pairs reminds us that "the buddy system" works.Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  Noah put together a mini zoo of animals, as God instructed, by pairing up one male and one female from each species. While this has obvious and practical reasons behind it - to ensure that the species would live on through pregnancy, the pairing of the animals teaches that the buddy system works. Going it alone on an adventure or crisis brings on feelings of isolation. Find a buddy and go through it together. A buddy is someone to lean on, and a living reminder that we are never alone. It is fitting that many nonprofit organizations that help children, the disabled, or abandoned animals are named after Noah's Ark.
  
  

Have Faith

• Noah acted on faith, building the ark long before the rain started.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Noah began hammering and sawing long before the rain came. He acted on faith alone. The hard work we are assigned daily is also completed on faith - faith that a paycheck will come, that a planned vacation will take place, or that one's family will be provided for over the coming years. Noah's faith is a lesson in taking action, even when it seems that the rest of the world is not on our side. "Faith without works is dead," the old adage goes. Sitting around and doing nothing will not solve any problem.
  
  

Don't Miss the Boat

• A rainbow sealed God's promise never again to flood the world.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Noah's ark was built to preserve some of the past and carry it into the future. Those who "missed the boat" eventually perished. Noah's Ark teaches the value of making a plan and sticking to it, even through times of overwhelming odds. The ark is "the boat," or the opportunity, we all may miss if we fail to take action in time. Noah could teach generations to come about why it is important to never miss the boat. Opportunity often knocks in troubled times, as it did for Noah.