My parents divorced when I was 6. At that age, I began seeing my dad every other weekend instead of every day. But that never stopped my dad from taking me on some epic adventures.
These adventures bonded my dad and I together in a way that mundane activities can’t. There’s also all kinds of spiritual lessons to be learned on adventures like these.
There’s one instance (not captured in the pictures above) when my dad and I went canoeing at Eleven Mile State Park in Park County, CO. My dad lived nearby at the time. It was a regular outing for us.
We had our routine down. We’d carry the canoe to the water. My dad would get in the back and I would get in the front. The middle seat would be empty. We’d have fishing poles, tackle boxes, our anchor, some snacks, water bottles, and maybe some music. And of course, paddles.
The weather was perfect when we launched. Partly cloudy, sunny, and barely any wind. After a while on the water the conditions began to change. The skies turned grey and the water choppy. The wind whipped. It was time to head back.
Our only way back was directly into the wind. My dad and I were giving it everything we had paddling and progress was slow. The chop crashed into the front of the canoe as the wind beat our faces. I was worried. I began to wonder if we’d ever make it to shore.
Of course, I was a little kid in a grown man’s canoe. My dad never had any doubt that we’d make it to shore. He was going to give it all the strength he had for as long as necessary to get us back to shore. In fact, eventually I just stopped paddling. I was wore out and barely helping anyway. We cut through the chop into the wind and my dad got us back.
I could not have, by my own strength, got us to safety. When the wind was whipping and the water was churning, I was at the end of my ability to rescue myself. At that point, only one thing mattered: who was in my boat? I needed somebody stronger and more capable than myself. My dad was there on that back seat with a paddle in his hand. That made all the difference.
I always think of Jesus and the disciples when I reminisce about this canoe trip:
Mark 4:35–41 (NKJV)
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
The disciples thought they were facing certain death. But they forgot who was in the boat with them. When the Master of ocean, and earth, and skies is in your boat, all you have to do is trust Him.
That’s why Jesus could lovingly rebuke His disciples for their fear. If they really understood, and trusted, who Jesus was, they’d realize they had nothing to worry about.
Sometimes in life, we’ll feel like the disciples in the boat: storm-tossed, soaked, and scared. In those moments, it’s easy to forget that Jesus is with us. And He isn’t worried at all. He merely has to say the word and there will be a great calm. If you’re in His boat, what are you worried about?
Yes, the waves are real. The storm is real. The fear is real. But so is Jesus. He does care if we perish. He does have the power to turn chaos into calm. It doesn’t matter what kind of water we’re sailing on. The only thing that matters is who’s in our boat.
Continually place your trust in Jesus and you won’t need smooth seas and clear skies. You’ll have the calm assurance of His presence and His word.
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