sailing the seas...a parenting allegory
Yesterday I was thinking about what to write on Firefly's social website wall for her birthday and one thought lead to another and I came up with a beautiful comparison, a God-given one I'm sure, on parenting. I'd like to share.
Imagine embarking on a seemingly long journey over the seas carrying precious cargo to its destination afar. At first, the ocean is exciting and you wonder about how the journey will be. The waters are calm at the dock and the scenery is beautiful. Your expectations are high, very high actually and although there's a lot of uncertainty, you feel you can conquer the world. The future is so bright.
Your Captain is a wise and experienced Being. You know you can confide completely on His judgment and so you set sail. He's got this awesome map that will take you to your destination. All you need to do is believe and trust Him.
Those first few days of your journey are pure bliss. You soak in the sun's rays. The ocean waters glisten. Here and there you come across a cloud or two. There's a momentary shower and even a taller and wider wave than expected. Your Captain is in control but for a split second, you find yourself in doubt. You fear that it may not always be so smooth and the uncertainty, the mystery of the ocean, begins to worry you.
Before you know it, you are at high seas. Your imagination turns to what could be lurking in the water beneath you. There are no other boats navigating around you. Are you the only one navigating this sea? Is your Captain experienced enough, trustworthy enough, wise enough to get you through whatever may come because it seems very lonely out there?
The waters become choppier and the skies are darker these days. Suddenly you are very afraid. The Captain seems to have abandoned the boat. He's not at the wheel. The waters are rough and every day is a challenge. The boat is frail and you worry that it won't be strong enough to handle the storms which are often and out of control. Really it's a bunch of storms with a quiet day or two in between. On those quiet days, instead of relaxing in the sun, you just brace yourself for the next storm. You don't even notice the majestic view before you. You don't stop to take in the warm inviting sun. You don't count the brilliant dots in the starry night sky enveloping you because it's now about survival, making it out alive and sane. It's about making sure, or better yet, hoping that your precious cargo remains precious, stays on the boat, makes it to the end of the journey unscathed and most importantly still yours. You don't want to come across pirates who will try and take your precious cargo away. You'll fight tooth and nail for it.
But you're so tired, so weary. Your Captain is nowhere in sight and you don't know if you can stand another day. You haven't a clue how the other navigators made it to their destination. Perhaps their journeys were sunnier and not stormy like yours. Perhaps they were stronger or wiser than you. Perhaps their Captain stayed on board the whole time. Surely their experience was very different.
Clearly in desperation and in a final act of hope, you call out to your Captain, "Where are you? Help me, please!". Just then your Captain comes up from out of the water and says, "I'm still here. I always have been. Trust me." He's been down there keeping the boat afloat, directing the rudder, mending the small cracks. You realize you are not alone and not once before did you call out to Him but He was there all along. Your Captain is very capable, very strong, very faithful. He's still got the map. He's the reason you are still alive, why the boat is still afloat, why your precious cargo is still aboard.
The days now don't seem as scary. You still encounter the storms but you don't lose your faith. Some are really bumpy with 90 mph winds but you're reminded that everything is under control. Soon you are aware that there are other boats all around you. They were overshadowed by your preoccupation with your own storms. Quickly you realize that you're not the only one going through these storms and experiences. There's no way around it. If you've got precious cargo to transport, you must navigate the seas.
As the shore emerges in the distance, memories of your storms come to mind and you begin to realize that each one had its purpose. Each one served to strengthen your faith, to enlarge your understanding, to awaken you to the Truth.
Stepping off the boat with your cargo in hand, you are grateful you made it ashore. You thank your Captain and you become acutely aware that you and your cargo will have to go your own separate ways from there. It's hard to take that in. You think, "All that hard work and now we have to part?" The truth is your precious cargo was only entrusted to your care for some time. You've brought it to its destination through all the storms and trials but it was never really yours. Your Captain smiles and helps you to let go. He embraces you and nods in approval. You've done your job. Now leave the Captain in charge, He knows what to do.
To all the navigators out there, entrust your boat to the Captain, and hang on tight. You are not alone on your journey. God bless each of you! -Feather and Ink
But you're so tired, so weary. Your Captain is nowhere in sight and you don't know if you can stand another day. You haven't a clue how the other navigators made it to their destination. Perhaps their journeys were sunnier and not stormy like yours. Perhaps they were stronger or wiser than you. Perhaps their Captain stayed on board the whole time. Surely their experience was very different.
Clearly in desperation and in a final act of hope, you call out to your Captain, "Where are you? Help me, please!". Just then your Captain comes up from out of the water and says, "I'm still here. I always have been. Trust me." He's been down there keeping the boat afloat, directing the rudder, mending the small cracks. You realize you are not alone and not once before did you call out to Him but He was there all along. Your Captain is very capable, very strong, very faithful. He's still got the map. He's the reason you are still alive, why the boat is still afloat, why your precious cargo is still aboard.
The days now don't seem as scary. You still encounter the storms but you don't lose your faith. Some are really bumpy with 90 mph winds but you're reminded that everything is under control. Soon you are aware that there are other boats all around you. They were overshadowed by your preoccupation with your own storms. Quickly you realize that you're not the only one going through these storms and experiences. There's no way around it. If you've got precious cargo to transport, you must navigate the seas.
As the shore emerges in the distance, memories of your storms come to mind and you begin to realize that each one had its purpose. Each one served to strengthen your faith, to enlarge your understanding, to awaken you to the Truth.
Stepping off the boat with your cargo in hand, you are grateful you made it ashore. You thank your Captain and you become acutely aware that you and your cargo will have to go your own separate ways from there. It's hard to take that in. You think, "All that hard work and now we have to part?" The truth is your precious cargo was only entrusted to your care for some time. You've brought it to its destination through all the storms and trials but it was never really yours. Your Captain smiles and helps you to let go. He embraces you and nods in approval. You've done your job. Now leave the Captain in charge, He knows what to do.
To all the navigators out there, entrust your boat to the Captain, and hang on tight. You are not alone on your journey. God bless each of you! -Feather and Ink
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