Sailing Through Life

Tip: Remember the rule of thirds in your photography and give your subject some context by showing some scenery around it. This provides a more interesting image.

Recently I had the pleasure of learning to sail, courtesy of a good friend of mine. Imagining what it is like to sail and actually sailing are two extremely different things. I always had an image in my head of someone blissfully steering a boat over sparkling blue water as the wind blew perfectly into their sails at all times. This, I have observed, is generally not the case at all.

Sailing takes work, and plenty of it. The wind will not constantly be blowing into your sails to take you where you wish to go. If you are in charge of the sails, it is your job to catch the wind; you must continually be turning and adjusting them or else you will end up either overwhelmed by too strong of a gust or perhaps find yourself stuck floating idle with no wind going into your sails at all. Meanwhile, either you or your shipmate must be constantly steering the boat- it’s not going to go where you wish simply by means of the current state of the wind.

In some respect, spiritual life can be this way too. You can't just expect your life to change for the better without steering in the right direction. While we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:1-10), we also cannot expect to grow in Christ if we are not actively pursuing a deeper relationship with Him. If we are not frequently studying the Bible and making necessary adjustments to our life trajectory, we are bound to either become idle and go nowhere or else be swept down a path we ought not to be on.

Sailing a boat is a very grand and rewarding experience, but what shall be even more so is a life well lived for the glory of God- our Lord and Savior.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.