I
like to fish from a kayak. Well, I like to fish from anything on or
near a good body of water. I own a lot of small boats. A few of them
I have built myself from scratch with only a set of plans. Hours
later. Actually, hundreds of hours later, you have a boat.
Maybe
it comes with age, but going fast in a speedboat doesn't excite me
like it did when I was 14 years old. Things change. Plans change. The
direction of your life changes. Many times those changes feel like it
is beyond your control.
Have
you ever paddled a kayak or a canoe? If you have you know the basic
rule. If you sit in the boat at the water's edge near the shore you
will go now where unless... you paddle. You have to make the effort.
On
a sunny windless day, with water as smooth as glass and no sounds to
overcome the joy of your surroundings, you can actually hear the the
kayak slicing through the water as you move forward.
Stop
paddling and you will glide to an eventual rest. To move forward or
to the side, you have to put in the effort. There you go again and
what a joy to share in the beauty of solitude and God's nature.
Have
you ever paddled a kayak or a canoe on a windy day? You remember. You
started out out and paddled a long distance when when suddenly the
weather changed. The direction home meant paddling into the wind.
Stop paddling and you will glide for a fraction of a second before
the kayak starts moving in the wrong direction. It turns sideways to
the wind. It's dangerous being broadside to the wind as you may flip
over if a gust of wind and a wave unite their energies against you.
So
what do you do? Well be ready for some hard work. The stronger the
wind- the more energy and
determination it will take to keep you going forward - toward your
goal.
It's
a frustrating time. It may even hurt. Your arms may tell you "Just
stop!" But you can't or you won't make it home.
Before
technology. Before GPS and satellites. Yes, even before compasses
were invented, people navigated away from home and back by one of two
methods. Both having to do with sight. Day time and night time.
So
imagine again paddling the kayak forward, facing where you want to
go. Pick a point. Make it a landmark. Now paddle and paddle hard
into that wind toward your goal.
So
easy, right? Except for the wind and the torrential rain. But you
ignore the elements with your concentration and your focus fixed on
that landmark. The result is progress, forward momentum.
Have
you ever paddled a kayak or a canoe at night? At night in bad windy
weather? I don't recommend it. But those explorers of the
pre-technology age were able to do just that, and they used their
sight. They used the stars of the night. You choose a star and aim
for it. Once again you paddle.
You
don't have to be afraid. You have to be determined. You have to
choose your goal and trust that with every stroke you take, you'll be
closer to home.
To
each of you blessings and remember to look, aim and paddle.
Thanks Terry!!!
Your post reminds of this passage from the book of Isaiah...
Isaiah, Chapter 48
17 Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.
18 Oh that you had listened to my commandments! then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea:
18 Oh that you had listened to my commandments! then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea:
Gary