Tall Ships & High Seas

How are you sailing life's seas???

So, life is interesting at the moment. The end of the school year (here in Australia) is upon us and we educators are exhausted. Most of us are running on fumes while we finish reports, hand back exams and go through endless hours of questionable professional development. And that is only one aspect of life at the moment.

The last couple months have been quite tough illness wise in our household and that creates with it its own level of strain and exhaustion.

In these times it is easy to get caught up in feeling like - “Serious…again? Is this never going to end, are there going to be any calm times?” - and all you feel like is sleeping for days on end, because that is the only time you get to escape from it all.

So this all got me thinking…well to be honest I never stop thinking and that is part of my problem, the burden I carry. But in this case it has helped me think through some things.

I like history, always have. It’s a hobby of mine, plus I can teach it. So, part of how I think is concepts are always connected to imagery or metaphors. And today was just the same. I was thinking and praying and laying my petitions before God about all that is going on and the following came to me.

Like the sailing ships of old…

In life one must be on the edge of a storm, where the winds blows to move.

Strong winds mean high seas, where one is buffeted about by the waves.

To wish for the calm seas means to wish for idleness and stagnation. Upon the high seas and in life…this means madness and death.

And the storms…well they come and go…leaving behind battered sails, broken masts, and shattered sterns. Though wounded these things can be mended…in time.

So, if one aims to navigate this life…one must learn to weather the storms, ride the winds and avoid being be-calmed.

The good thing about being a believer in God (Yahweh), is that HE will never leave nor forsake us, which is a concept that is repeatedly discussed in the Bible including in the books Deuteronomy, Joshua and Hebrews.

And God is in charge of everything, even when life looks crazy, dark and unrelentingly difficult. We know this becuase the psalmist says in Psalm 89:9, “You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves.” And we should all be familiar with the story of Jesus calming the storm found in Matthew 8, Mark 4, Luke 8.

So, even though life just seems impossible right now…know that God is with you through the stormy seas. And even though you may come out battered and bruised, when that gets repaired you will be better and stronger than before. God is the captain of our vessel (our lives), we need to place our trust in HIM…completely. Our faith should be grounded in HIS ultimate wisdom and strength, and not our limited understanding of what we see and feel in the middle of tough times.

I pray that no matter what you might be facing today that you just cling to God. Cry out to HIM in your distress, in your anxiety, in your pain and discomfort. HE is there to hear your prayers, and like Psalm 23 informs us “HE will guide you through the valley of the shadow of death”…you will get through this. This storm will pass and you will sail on in your life.