10/27/2024 0 Comments The Walk of a Disciple (Part Two)Coasting, Letting Go Of The RudderChristine Olding I do not like sailing when it is windy, which says a lot about me. A sailboat cannot move without wind, yet I find the tipping and leaning of a sailboat in the wind very, very uncomfortable. I would hide below deck and white knuckle the trip until I was closer to shore. If I could steer a sailboat, the first thing I would want to do is find a quiet bay out of the wind and park my boat there. I know you don’t park a boat. But I would. I do not make a good sailor. Today, however, I believe it is impossible to benignly coast as a Christian in our little boats. I’m sorry if that offends you. But look at it this way: if you put your car in neutral on a hill, will gravity still work? Of course! (Please don’t try this – trust me, gravity works.) Unless you steer your car and use the brakes and gas accordingly, it will roll down that hill out of control. Our world today is too full of strong and various undercurrents for us to passively coast. The most you would be able to accomplish by not engaging in the currents of the world today would be, in my opinion, a preoccupation with self. Some of us might want, to coin a phrase, to “mind our own business.” These days that can sound wonderfully liberating and accepting of others. If there are strong opinions or issues around us, minding our business might keep us from conflict and allow us to focus on finding peace and calmness for…ourselves? Except then, our lives are steered by avoiding whatever issues or opinions we choose not to engage with, and we are no longer neutrally coasting; coasting itself becomes a myth. Like me in my boat – if left to myself, I’d steer away from strong currents and soak in the sun. An alternative to letting go of the rudder could look the exact opposite. Perhaps you are driven by injustice, and the bigger the wave, the more attractive it is. I like roller coasters, so I can relate to loving an adrenaline rush! I am also a mama of four beautiful people, and my “mama-bear instinct” is very real. If I witness an injustice to someone I care about, my little sun-loving boat can quickly become a warship decked out with guns and a flight deck. Then, I am no longer coasting but barreling through waves, no matter how big they are. However, whether coasting or barreling, I am still steering by whatever I decide is my business.
Here’s the challenge: my desire to be in a relationship with God the Father pulls starkly against my desire to steer my own boat, whether it is a cute, sun-loving sailboat or a full-on warship. The more I spend time with Him and do the work of discipleship and investing in my relationship with Him, the more I realize the very act of becoming a disciple involves surrendering the rudder of my boat to Him. Discipleship, by definition, is entering into the work of following Jesus, who tells me to lay down my life and follow Him. “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23–24 Minding my own business sharply contrasts Jesus’ command to follow Him. He wants me to mind His business, not mine or the world’s. His business stretches far beyond me. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21 Can one actually achieve coasting today, or at least the illusion of it? Yes, I believe you can achieve an illusion of it if your goal is to mind your own business. Although, to achieve a constant sense of calm waters you will need to actively steer away from what you do not want to experience. However, if your goal is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, your “business” must be laid down at His feet, and your rudder must be placed in His hands. No longer will you be the captain of your boat. Instead, you will be the first mate on the adventure of a lifetime with a more transformative and fulfilling life than you could ever create yourself. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” Ephesians 4:14–15 Blessings, Christine
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