A Public Service Announcement for Sailing Through the Storms of Life

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).