Losing Sight Of The Shore

Have any of you ever sat in a boat and watched the shoreline disappear? It is a wonderful feeling to find yourself in the middle of the ocean and experience the vastness of God’s magnificent creation. But sometimes your inability to see the shore can make you fearful. You are aware of the vastness of the ocean and how small you are. I remember one time years ago sailing with some friends and a storm hit us– seemingly out of nowhere. We were caught by surprised and we had to work hard to keep our sailboat from turning over. Now I know less than nothing about sailing or about boats for that matter. But in that moment I became the first mate. The problem was that my mate was barking orders at me to help and I didn’t know what I was doing! In that moment (really hours) I realized how vast the sea can be– beautiful at times and ominous at other times. I became very respectful of the sea. My inability to see the shore however is what concerned me. Something about not being able to see the shore was more frightening to me than the raging storm.

Spiritually speaking

I read a quote the other day that resonated with me and I want to share it with you: Man cannot discover new oceans until he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. Now if that doesn’t float your boat nothing will (excuse the pun!). Sometimes we have to let go of the old, let go of our comfort zone, let go of something... in order to follow God in the new thing to which He is calling us.

What to Do?

God may be calling you to step out in faith.  You may have already taken that leap of faith and now find yourself in a raging storm wondering why you took the leap of faith. But man cannot discover new oceans without leaving the shoreline. Don’t give up. Remember that when the disciples found themselves in the storm, Jesus came to them and quieted the storm. You can stay on the safe shore or you can step out in faith and discover new oceans of opportunity. Never easy but always worth the risk.