The World Needs More Sailboats

The world needs more sailboats. The image of a sailboat gliding effortlessly across the open sea reminds us of a simpler time. The sight of the sail expanding evokes life, as if it were inhaling the ocean breeze. The flag atop the sailboat’s tall wooden mast flaps in the salted sea wind, as it appears to be waving to onlookers as it cruises by. The sailboat is not just simpler—it is elegant, seemingly unrestrained by the material constraints and societal pressures of the world. It would rather sail to and fro, going whichever way the wind blows.

The different types of boats have only increased with industrial and technological advancement.  Society craves more power, speed, and agility—but at what cost?

          Power sacrifices the need for a delicate touch. We must power through the waves! Yet sometimes it is easier to ride the wave rather than plowing through it. Warp-like acceleration blurs our vision of the reality around us. We sacrifice pace to the need for speed. The thrill causes us to miss out on the beauty of the surrounding world. The newer boats’ agility allows them to change course no matter what lies ahead. We steer for clear skies when in reality the gray ones—the ones filled with the threat of storms—are where we need to be heading.

            Is there a compromise? Perhaps a rowboat, canoe, or kayak. Do they offer the peace of old-world nostalgia our hearts desire? No. Paddle left, paddle right, paddle hard! The self-propulsion method of paddling, while honorable, will ultimately fail. It is impossible to sustain rowing through the endless hours of life. One would never row across the Atlantic Ocean toward certain death. So yes, rowing takes us back in time. Yet it takes us to a place of an unhealthy, do-it-all-yourself attitude. No, a sailboat is the best boat.

Why a sailboat, you ask?

              The gusting winds, towering waves, rumbling thunder, and cracking lightning—how can a sailboat survive such conditions?  It would seem powering or fighting through the storm is a much better option.  It’s the quickest way to safety! Jesus would disagree. 

              We’re called to be sailboats.  It is what it means to be Spirit-led.  Anything else is works-based righteousness.  Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Being a sailboat is a gift from God. 

              God doesn’t need our technology to drive us through the storms of life.  He doesn’t need our strength. He doesn’t need our agility to guide us through the jagged rocks and turbulent rapids of a fallen world. 

              In Mark 4:35-41, we find Jesus asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat.  A mighty storm had risen up.  He is awakened by His panicked Disciples.  He then proceeds to calm the winds and the waves.  Then he says in verse 40, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

              It’s a rebuke of the Disciples.  They have the God of the universe in their boat, and yet they are still afraid. But what about the other boats?

              In verse 36 we see other boats went with them.  They do not have the luxury of sailing with the God-man.  How should they feel when they are being swamped by waves?  Jesus gives us the clearest example of how to live in the stormy situations of life.  To see this, we must focus on what happens after Jesus’ baptism.

              Most are familiar with Matthew 3:17 or Mark 1, “and behold, a voice from heaven said, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” But what happens after is quite astonishing.  All three authors of the synoptic gospels, Luke 4:1, Mark 1:12, Matthew 4:1, say Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was “tempted” for 40 days and 40 nights.  John even says in Chapter 1:32, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.” No matter the case, Jesus in his full humanity is Spirit-led.  The Spirit remains on him and leads him through trials, temptations of hunger and temptations of power. 

              Though Jesus is very different from you and me, He did take on flesh being both fully God and fully man.  This man from Nazareth showed us how we are meant to live.  It’s not by our fleshly power but by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

How would you describe your Christian life? A sailboat, powerboat, or rowboat?

              People who live like sailboats are Spirit-led.  It does not mean we sit idly by letting the waves smash us against the rocks.  We can still hold the wheel.  We still need to hoist the main and batten down the hatches.  But our survival through the storm is not of our doing but of the Spirit’s.  When we allow God to fill our sails, we no longer need to boast saying, “I did it!” There is no need to fear the storm as the disciples did. Rather, God lets us hold the wheel as the Spirit carries us safely to eternity’s shore.