Sailing On the Spiritual Wind

As I read Romans 8, I am reminded of an adventure I had off the coast of New Jersey the summer of my Senior year of college.

Paul is talking about the work of the Holy Spirit (which literally means "wind") in our lives. He says that letting the Spirit give us guidance is supposed to be both a freeing and a powerful thing.

On a summer beach missions project, I went with a friend from Philadelphia to his favorite sailing spot on the east coast, "up near the Barnaget light". The short, small, but beautiful wooden sailboat he carried in the back of his cargo van would be our transportation out into the Atlantic Ocean. He was an experienced sailor. I and my roomie were there to do as directed, when needed, for this windy adventure to work properly.

Lugging the boat into the water, we hopped in... well, no, actually this boat is just a big wooden kayak with a mast, so we put our 6 feet in the small well designed for 4! There was a center board to be lowered or raised as needed for "drag" in the water. The rudder was manned by our fearless captain. The sail and mast were over 12 feet tall when fully raised, and the seafaring guys from Iowa and Georgia were in charge of it!

We began our journey by sailing past the swimmers and surfers, south away from the lighthouse. There was a strong wind from offshore, and it made the sail billow strongly. The salt spray and open water made us feel like we were true sailors!

Too soon, it was time to turn around, and head in. We were given instructions about raising and lowering the centerboard, and being ready to "duck when I say duck"!! With rudder hard over, and the crew literally kissing the deck as the sailboom swung over our heads, the captain brought our boat around, and we were aimed back toward the lighthouse from which we'd come several miles.

Then the stunning realization hit me: the same strong offshore wind that had made possible our wonderful trip out, was still blowing us out!! We would never be able to sail into it, and make it back to land or sand!!

The captain began giving some simple instructions about how to position the sail, to lower the centerboard for leverage, and he adjusted the rudder. Within seconds we were moving at a 45 degree angle into the wind, all of us leaning away from the sail, headed straight toward the lighthouse. I was amazed! It was as if Ella Wheeler Wilcox's poem had come to life:
"One ship sails east, another west, with the selfsame winds that blow. 'Tis the set of the sails, and not the gales, that determine the way they go."

Talk about a surprised landlubber!! In fact, before the afternoon was done, we had made several turns, going both north and south, following the shore, actually going anyway we chose, before we finally called it a day.

Paul is challenging us in Romans 8 to live our lives that the Spirit may have control of the centerboard, the rudder, and the sail. He will take us on an adventure that can overcome all our fears, misunderstandings, and lack of faith. I'm not sure the Holy Spirit speaks with a North Jersey accent, but he makes a Mighty Fine Captain!