My wife and I are just returning from a short holiday at the beach. We decided to get in one last Summer trip during the Labor Day Holiday before the cooler weather sets in. It was a wonderful trip. The weather was perfect in the mid-80’s and no rain or clouds to be found. It was simply breathtaking, even for only a couple of days.
During this trip, I had the pleasure of sitting comfortably on the beach while observing several boats navigating the seas. They were all gorgeous with a wonderful spectrum of colors from reds and blues and yellows and greens, as well as all sizes from a small one-man boat to a larger multi-person vessel. It was amazing to watch the passengers load the boats into the water, climb aboard, fight the waves, and then out to sea. Watching all of the sailing made me want to rent a sailboat and try it myself, but I decided my lounge chair was much more comfortable. I decided to simply watch and I’m glad I did.
There was one particular sailboat that caught my eye. It was an average sized boat with what looked to be 4 or 5 passengers. I could tell they weren’t experienced seamen because they all seemed to be fumbling around on the deck and trying to get the sails expanded to catch the wind. It seemed to be a little more work than they probably imagined. Eventually, they opened the sails to catch the strong winds and off they went, maybe not in the direction they intended, but off nonetheless. I followed them through their entire journey until they returned to shore about an hour later. Once they touched ground, I could see the Mom and Dad and children now that they were much closer. The parents looked exhausted, but excited that they had conquered the seven seas in their sailboat. I even heard one of the children say “we didn’t make it as far as we thought, but it sure was fun Daddy.”
As I was laying there, between naps, I was reminded of what an awesome picture of Faith I had just observed. I’m sure that the family in the sailboat never thought that they would be such a strong example of Faith in our lives:
- They believed what they couldn’t see. Even though they couldn’t see the wind blowing, they felt the mighty power of the wind in the sails once their sails were opened. I was reminded that just because I can’t see what God may be doing in my life, I can always see the results and power of His Majesty.
- The children obeyed even when they didn’t understand. As I mentioned earlier, it was fairly obvious that the family had not been sailing before. The children on board had absolutely no clue what to do but they had blind faith in their parents to guide them across every wave. If only I could obey blindly even when I don’t understand. How much better off would I be?
- They persisted even when they didn’t feel like it. Even though the family was exhausted once they reached land, the excitement of the finish was stronger than the agony of the journey.
- They thanked the parents even when the result wasn’t what they wanted. I’m sure that when they entered the boat, the children had visions of traveling far off shore to see whales and sharks. Even though their trip was short, they focused on the positive.
Where are you in your Walk of Faith? Are you praying and hoping against hope? Just remember the example of the sailboat and you’ll complete your journey just fine.
