Tips to Consider When Sailing through the Storms of Life
I’ve heard it said that “plagiarism is
stealing from one person, research is stealing from many.” So, I give props to all the people and sites listed that I borrowed from the end of this blog.
Food for thought…
Sailors can complain about the weather
but that is not going to change it. The weather will be what it will be. The
best sailors learn to adjust.
An old African proverb says: You are
either leaving a storm, heading into a storm or in the midst of a storm.
Whether you feel like your vessel is a dingy, cruise liner or pirate ship –
there are five things to keep in mind as you navigate through the storms that
come your way in life:
1.
Lift your anchor and launch into the deep water. Boats were not made to hang out in the harbor. A
boat can survive mild winds and rain in the harbor, but not much more than
that. Did you know that during major hurricanes the United States Coast Guard
closes ports in the path of larger storms, and they encourage all ships to
leave port, heading “East at the best possible speed.” According to the
National Weather Service, the worst place for a ship to find itself is the eye
of a hurricane, the second worst place is the harbor. As you watch the weather,
monitoring the storms that head your way, don’t hug the harbor, raise the
anchor and set sail at your best possible speed. Head for deeper water. Outrun
the storm’s path if it’s possible.
2.
When you encounter a storm you can’t outrun,
steer into it. With top speeds
reaching between 15 and 30 miles per hour, commercial ships are not the
quickest. Captain John
Konrad, who has experienced
hurricanes first hand, says, “When battling a storm at sea, size and mass
are your friend. Ships are built of heavy steel and designed to be capable of
riding out most storms. Even the largest ships however, like the 1,302 foot
long, 170,974 ton container ship, Emma Maersk, can sink if she is beaten
by massive waves for too long a period of time.” An interesting ranching side
note – when cows are faced with a storm, they disperse and try to hide from it.
However, buffalo stick together and take on a group wedge-like formation and
hunker down together and let the storm pass right over them. Did you know there
are more cattle killed each year by storms than bison? Early settlers referred
to the American Bison as “the ones who face the storm” - understanding that
sometimes the quickest way through a storm is head on. FYI – Did you know? The
American Bison has been clocked doing more than 40 m.p.h. and can outrun a
horse in a sprint. The Sioux
Indians called the American Bison, tatanka —which
actually means "great big thing." But I digress…Back to sailing tips
for weathering life’s storms. Is your reaction to storms that occur in life more like a cow or buffalo?
3. Get rid of
excess cargo. What do you need
to throw overboard? What is weighing you down? And, why do we need to do this? According
to boating experts, cargo or equipment is often jettisoned to stabilize a vessel during a storm. If you see an
unavoidable storm entering your life, consider jettisoning unnecessary baggage
that could, in the end, contribute to the sinking of your ship.
4.
Tie yourself to the mast…if you find yourself dealing with an unavoidable
storm. Back in the day, when a ship faced a major storm, they tied the captain
to the mast so he wouldn’t be washed overboard. In extreme storms, they tied
the entire crew to the mast. The word mast means “pole or rod.” So, a mast has
an important job. Most masts that I have seen tend to be toward the center of
the vessel. The mast supports the sails, which allows the wind to propel the
ship. As a follower of Jesus, I tend to
think of him as the mast on my ship. (He’s really the captain of my vessel too…
but that’s another blog)…but for this illustration’s purpose…the best thing we
can do is tie ourselves to our mast (Jesus) when facing storms in life. It’s usually
in those moments, when we find what we are really made of. Truth be known, in
the calm or storm, the best thing you and I can do is stay tied to Jesus.
5.
Enjoy the ride… Yesterday is gone and you’re not getting it
back. Did you make the most of today? It's about to become a yesterday. For some reason, I have a picture of Lieutenant
Dan of the Forrest Gump movie in my head. You know, the scene where he is
riding the mast of the shrimp boat during the storm. You don’t need to use his
colorful language…or blame God for all the storms you encounter in life. You can rest assured, God will use the storm to bring glory to Himself and make you more like Jesus.
Whatever you are facing at the moment…know
that God is there in the midst of your storm.
May your anchor be tight and your
compass be true. Sail on, my friends!
It’s a privilege to serve as your
Discipleship Pastor, Dean
Props to: Dr. Leonard Sweet, Forbes.com,
The National Weather Service, Dictionary.com, the History Channel, and Siri (I
told you I borrowed info from several places).
