Lower Your Sail

 

There’s something beautiful about a sailboat going by on the horizon. From a distance there’s this fluid motion of movement. We can imagine the wind pushing against the sail and gliding the ship across the waves.

I once had the opportunity to help sail a boat. My family and I were in St. Augustine and took a guided sail boat ride. The ride began by the large sailboat moving out into the open waters away from the docked shore.

When we were out in the open waters the captain asked if anyone wanted to help “raise the sails”. I immediately volunteer, excited to be part of our sailing adventure. There were two of us needed to raise the sails and on the captain’s command, we began to do just that. My first tug seemed to do nothing. I put more strength behind my second tug and leaned my body back to give more weight to my efforts.

This was not easy.

As I started to get a rhythm of pull, I could feel the sting in my arms and shoulders. It felt as if I had been pulling on that rope forever, yet the sail seemed to raise at a much slower pace than my efforts presented.

The captain cheered us on along with everyone else and told us we were doing an excellent job.

Finally, after tugging and pulling with everything I had in me, the sail was up and we caught the wind!

You could feel the incredible pull as the motor was no longer in use and the air in the sails did all the work.

It was incredible really, to be pushed along by this invisible force.

The captain explained at that point that in order to slow down or speed up the deck hands would change the direction of the sails accordingly.

This was so different than just seeing a sailboat on the horizon. Up close and personal you could see the power behind the wind and feel the push of its movement.

There was more to this movement though than just the sails themselves. The wind pushed us and the sails controlled that push, but they also have to be set in the right position.

In addition to the sails position there was another small part of the boat that helped to keep the direction steady. The rudder.

“Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.”-James 3:4

The captain reminded us that although the wind was powerful and the sails were impressively large, neither would serve its full purpose without the rudder.

It was a profound statement I’m not sure the captain himself even realized had deep meaning.

This profound statement was then reinforced by his next comment.

“When there’s a storm, we have to put our sails down.”

He explained that sailors had to pay attention to the winds of change so that they wouldn’t be taken by surprise. Keeping your sails up for too long could prove to be dangerous.

These beautiful, powerful, majestic catchers of wind, could be a boats very demise in certain situations.

I sat with this thought as I looked out on the beautiful sea around us.

We often refer to life’s difficulties as storms. The winds of life push against us. We get tugged to and froe in the turbulent winds of our circumstances and situations.

Instead of the winds in our sails simply propelling us forward with beautiful grace, they can threaten to capsize us.

That’s when God says “Put your sails down.”

I thought about all the work I put in to getting the sail up that day on our sailing adventure.

Sometimes we too work so hard to get our sails up so that the winds of life can propel us forward. We tug and we pull and we lean our weight into challenging situations so that we can catch that wind of change and sail!

But then God tells us to lower them.

In sail boats that can make you feel like a sitting duck.

“Be still, and know that I am God!” -Psalm 46:10

Our first inclination in a storm is not always to be still. Many sailors have lost their boats and lives because they kept the sails up in a storm hoping that they could move out of it.

We do that as well at times. God tells us to be still, but we keep fighting the wind in our own strength.

But God tells us to lower the sails.

The best way to survive a storm on the sea is often to lower your sails and ride it out; and the same is true for life.

In times of difficulty, we need to lower our sails. That means letting go of the things that we think we have control over and allowing God to be the pilot of the rudder of our lives; steering us and keeping us upright and afloat.

It definitely looked like those deck hands had great control of the ship through there handling of the sails, but the captain was quick to teach us that the best of sailors could get lulled into believing that they could bridle the power of the wind in a storm.

We often get lulled into believing that we can bridle the power of the winds of storm in our lives.

But, God tells us to lower our sails.

When we lower the sails of our lives in the storms and stop striving and pulling; we can allow God to carry us through the storm.

Our sails in life are often our attitude and perspective. Living our lives with our determined sails set high to catch the wind is powerful, but even more powerful than that; is knowing when to lower them. Knowing when to “Be still” and know that HE is God and we are not.

Though it may go against our instinct to lower or sails and be still in time of trouble, it can ultimately save us from destruction.

“The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”-Matthew 8:27

 

He is our Savior, Messiah, Lord of our lives. "Be still" and trust to let him calm the storms of your life. 

Trust him enough in those times of turbulence to lower your sails.

-Pastor Patti