Beginning the Journey on the Sea of Life

A young man began his journey on the Sea of Life like so many of us do. He left his father and his mother, stepped into his Life Boat and struck out on his own with his new wife. Everything seemed to be going well. He and his wife were very much in love and they began a family. The couple had two boys.

The young man was independent-minded, he thought he could handle all of the waves on the Sea of Life by himself. If there were troubles, he could handle it without help from anybody. Although pride probably had something to do with it, he thought he did this mostly out of a feeling of obligation and a desire to give those traveling with him a sense of security. When the waves got bigger he didn’t want them to worry with him, he would do the worrying for all of them. This was his way of protecting them from the waters, and for the most part this worked out well for him.

Part of this independent streak, however, was a worldview that he could just be a good captain, and if judgment were to come upon him in the future for his journey on the Sea of Life he would be judged on his good captaincy. Besides, that shore was a long way off and he had plenty of time to think about those things.

His journey on the Sea of Life started out well enough. Sure, there were waves and storms but there was nothing he could not handle. His wife and his two boys were always protected and taken care of, and the journey was continuing on unabated. He was a good captain, he was sure of it.

A Violent Storm

But the Sea of Life can be cruel, and one morning out of nowhere a violent storm rose up. When the man woke up it was dark and he was having trouble seeing, where was the moon and where were the stars? Suddenly the man was without direction.

His Life Boat was being tossed to and fro, and suddenly he was thrown out of the boat and into the deep, dark, and cold sea. He was drowning and this time he realized he could not save himself.

He was crying out, “help me, help me” but nobody could hear him. He had been doing it on his own for so long that he didn’t know how to ask for help. He was in a panic and he was depressed. He felt himself going under the waves.

As he came up for air again he noticed a dark figure in the distance. The figure was moving slowly toward him and appeared to be walking on the water. Was this a ghost or a phantom? What was that in his hand? Was it a sickle? Was Death approaching him now?

Suddenly that shore didn’t seem so far away and he didn’t seem to have the time he thought he had. Perhaps he was heading to the wrong shore all of this time. The shore he was drifting towards looked dark and foreboding rather than the soft and inviting shore he was expecting when he started his journey on the Sea of Life.

The dark figure was inching closer and closer. The sea was overtaking him and he was going under the waves. Now the figure was right next to him. He had nowhere else to turn, and as the figure crouched down next to him he screamed out in desperation, “God help me, God, please save me!”

Death or Everlasting Life

The figure reached out his hand, and the man saw that it was not a sickle he was holding after all; it was an olive branch. Suddenly he saw the figure’s face and it was kind and gentle, this was not Death after all; this was Everlasting Life who took him by the hand and set him safely in the Life Boat. The Sea of Life was immediately calmed and the man was filled with a peace which transcends all understanding.

Everlasting Life looked at the man with love in his eyes and said, “Steve, from now on you will be called Christian. Do not be afraid, I will never leave you or forsake you.”

A Conversation with Everlasting Life

Christian’s first question to Everlasting Life was, “but why are you the one bringing me the olive branch, shouldn’t it be the other way around? I do not deserve this.” Everlasting Life’s answer was profound.

He said, “First, please call me Jesus because the Lord saves. You called out to me in the storm and asked to be saved, and I answered you. I give you an olive branch, but I want your heart in return. I am offering you the peace that comes from knowing me, take my yoke and learn from me, and you will find rest in your soul. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

“But I have many questions” Christian said to Jesus. Jesus gave Christian an old book to read, saying “everything you need to know is in the pages of this book. Study and learn. But remember I will be with you always and I will never let you go.”

Jesus continued, “I will not part the Sea for you so you can walk to the shore on dry land, you are going to get wet as you journey on the Sea of Life. But remember that I will always be here to calm the storm and to guide you through the tough times, just like I was here for you today.”

The Journey Continues

The Sea of Life can be rough; there are rocks above the surface that we can become shipwrecked on, and there are rocks below the surface we don’t see that can trip us up. The Sea of Life is also full of predators that are ready to pounce. All of these can become distractions that take us off course on the Sea of Life. We can easily start to drift back towards that dark and foreboding shore if we are not careful. Christian realized that just being a good captain was not enough, he needed to let Jesus plot the course.

It seems so easy to just let Jesus plot the course…but then “look at the way the water is glistening on the rock over there. Maybe I’ll go over there and take a look.” This happened more often than Christian cares to admit. He takes his eyes off Jesus and looks at something else. He loses focus and gets easily distracted by what is going on around him.

But then he realizes his mistake and asks Jesus to forgive him and to save him. Jesus looks at him with his arms folded and a knowing smile on his face that seems to say “I told you so.” Sometimes Christian wonders if he has finally gone too far. He wonders if Jesus has lost his patience with him. But then Jesus reaches out to him yet again, picks him up, puts him back in the Life Boat, and puts the Life Boat back on the right path. He is amazed at his patience and feels like he doesn’t deserve it.

The Journey Comes to an End

As Christian gets older, and his journey on the Sea of Life is coming to an end he notices that his mistakes are getting fewer and fewer. The sea is more tranquil now than it used to be. He has learned to lean on Jesus more than on himself as time has gone on.

The shore is getting closer and Christian can see a little smoke rising up in the distance. He wonders what it can be. As he gets closer he sees a little glow and realizes there is a small campfire on the shore.

He gets even closer to the shore and he can smell fish cooking over the fire.

Closer still and he realizes Jesus is cooking and serving the fish, and he is beginning to get hungry. He remembers the story of Jesus on the beach with his disciples after His resurrection. He notices they are all dressed in wedding clothes.

Christian finally reaches the shore and his journey is over. He steps out of his Life Boat and onto the shore, and Jesus throws his arms around him, kisses him on the cheek, and whispers into his ear, “well done, good and faithful servant.” And then, “come, have breakfast.”

This is not at all how he thought the Heavenly wedding banquet would be, and he sees so many people and so few fish. He begins to wonder how they will all be fed. Will Jesus be able to feed one more?

And yet they are all full, and suddenly, so is he…