Imagine you are lying flat in the bottom of a sail boat on a sunny day. You are just floating and drifting along. As you are lying on your back, you can see the sky above but not much not of anything else. You realize that have no idea where you might be going. Maybe there are hazards that might sink your boat; OR there could be a wonderful destination somewhere, a beach perhaps, but you just don’t know. So you pop up, look around, and pick a direction of travel towards a far-off land mass. You grab an oar and start paddling the water beside your boat. After a while your arms start getting tired and you realize that you haven’t gone very far; so you start to feel panic. Your paddling gets faster and faster and soon becomes frantic. You feel the sweat beading on your forehead. You look up and realize that you have actually traveled in the opposite direction from which you are paddling.
Then, you remember that you are in a SAIL boat. You realize that you can feel a slight breeze blowing on your sweaty forehead. So for the first time, you stand up and stretch out your arms to feel the direction of the wind. Ah…you were paddling in the wrong direction. So, you pick up your oar, again. You start paddling, again. After a while, you are once again disappointed in your lack of forward progress. Frustrated, you take a break, sit back and think. As your focus relaxes, it dawns on you. OF COARSE! I haven’t been using my sails. Now you set the oar down and adjust your sails so that they will catch the force and direction of the wind. After you adjust your first sail, you feel the wind pick up and blow a little harder. Your boat is going forward like never before. Then, you adjust your second sail and sit back. They wind picks up even more and now you are cruising along at a speed you didn’t even think was possible. Now you are in awe of the amazing strength of the wind. You are slicing through the ocean like never before and it is requiring nothing of you. For the first time you notice the sun glistening off of the water and the blueness of the sky. Until now the beauty of your surroundings escaped your attention. But no longer. After basking in a wonderment of happiness and peace, you feel motivated to pick up that oar once again. You stick it in the water and something has changed. This oar that was previously useless, now has amazing power. With each stroke, you are able to propel your boat forward in giant leaps. You are amazed how easy it has become to move. You look up and see a big beautiful golden-sanded beach. Yes! That is the destination you want. You weren’t even able to see it until just now. It’s still a ways off and it’s going to take a little work, but now you know where you are going and how to get there.
Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying and trying to get somewhere or do something and just freaking struggle? Have you ever felt like you were working really hard towards a goal but find that you have actually regressed (paddling and paddling but going backwards)?
There are people that believe that you make your own destiny in life and there are others that insist that your life is controlled by God. It has been my experience that both are true. In the sailboat story, the oar represents your part through your efforts and the wind represents God. The biggest and most important step is feeling the wind and getting aligned with it. Once you have connected with God, and understand direction and purpose, then your efforts will be fruitful. You will be amazed at what you can do. You will see destinations that you didn’t see before. Things will start to happen for you instead of to you.
So stand up and reach out your arms to feel YOUR wind. Align you sails and THEN grab your oar and go to work!
Have a beautiful day!
Love and Let 