July 2004

Sailing

            I was at Lakeside, Ohio this past week, where our Annual Conference is held and was entranced by the beauty of the sun rising and setting.  The skies could not be painted with more wonderful hues.  Gulls and herons flying across the horizon added to the spectacular scene.  The beauty of the sailboats made it even more special.  Those swollen sails filled with wind gracefully moving across the water were a delight to the eye and somehow soothing to the mind. 

            I began to think about the difference between those sailboats and the motorboats I saw on the lake during the day.  There were the menacing jet skis — the single person water version of motorcycles with their terrible noise and furious wake.  There were the barges, large fishing vessels, private fishing boats and powerful speed boats. 

            As I considered the difference between a motorboat and a sailboat, I realized that one was operating on its own fuel and the other was completely  dependent on the movement of the wind.  That’s when I realized that being a Christian is more like being a sailboat than a motorboat.  The powerboats could determine their speed and direction without waiting or relying on the wind.  They operated under their own power.  They were in control.  The sailboats sat still until the wind blew.  They were not in control, the wind was in control.  You might feel out of control when you are waiting on the Spirit of God to move, but that really is the point.  Becoming a Christian means that we give the controls over to God, even when it feels like God is not moving when we think he ought to, or as fast as he should, or in the direction we think he should be taking us. 

            The Bible says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).  That is the wonderful but frustrating part, and  I’m convinced this is one of the reasons that many people do not become Christians — they cannot stand the thought of being dependent on God or giving the control of their lives over to him. 

            Watching the boats on Lake Erie I realized something else.  Some of the sailboats also had motors on board so that when the wind died down they would still have power.  That is the way I am sometimes — I will depend on the Spirit of God until I feel like he is not moving.  I get tired of waiting and decide to operate under my own power again and go in my own direction.  I always have the option of going to my own power if I feel I need to.  I want the ability to return to my own power when I think it is necessary. 

            But I want to get to the place where I am willing to be totally moved and directed by the wind of the Spirit — realizing that I cannot control God any more than I can control the wind. 

 Waiting for the breeze of the Spirit,

 Rod