The past few days I had the privilege of taking a much needed vacation. I had a lot of time to think, reflect, and pray about the group, our direction, and where we are headed. I was on a ship, and my favorite spot to be was the bow of deck 10 after dark. There were no lights, no other people; just me and the stars. I was looking out over the front of the ship, and all I saw was utter darkness. The sea was as smooth as glass, the only movement was the ship breaking the water and causing a wake. The sea seemed so dark, yet the ship continued on course and continued to our destination.
This made me think of sailors in the early days of maritime. Navigational computers weren’t around, just a lookout and a compass. But when the sea seemed so dark, what was always there? The stars. I read up the next morning about how sailors used stars for navigation. They would look up to find their location, adjust their course, and continue. Feels a lot like life today, doesn’t it?
When were sailing in the seas of life, all we can see is darkness all around. It so simple it seems, yet so many people miss the mark. All we need to do is look up at Christ for our navigation in life. Literally, a head tilt up; or even a gaze up. Even if a storm rolls in, and clouds seem to get in the way, we need to trust. Trust that Jesus is always there, wanting to walk with us. Trusting that the storm will pass, and when it does, we will see the most beautiful, starry sky, and Jesus guiding our way.
During the storms, we learn things that we never would learn if it was always calm and clear out. Our faith does not just teach about going to heaven when we die, its also about loving others and how to live in the present when life hits storms. I was reading Matthew 8:23-27 when I got back to my stateroom about Jesus calming the storm. If we look, Jesus led the disciples into the boat, and ultimately into the storm. Did Jesus know the storm was coming? Sure He did! Jesus was even sleeping when the storm came. He trusted that His Father would keep them safe. When the disciples woke Him up, He rebuked the waves and it was completely calm. The disciples learned a hard lesson that we are constantly learning every day; have faith.
When storms come, trust that our Heavenly Father is teaching something to us. The decision is yours; will you focus on the darkness of the world around us, or look up at the stars and trust Jesus for our guidance?