Are you a Rowboat, Motorboat, or Sailboat?

If we are three part beings: physical, mental, and spiritual; which is YOUR dominant trait? Are you a rowboat, motorboat, or sailboat? This is one of my favorite analogies to share. It has delivered clarification and inspiration to my soul many times. It is my constant.

Of course the spiritual person would be the sailboat, driven by the Wind. The rowboat is a very physical person, perhaps even one of those very sleek, fast, and fancy rowboats used in the races, or maybe an old beat-up canoe. That leaves the motorboat. This is the mentally dominated person who by the power of the mind invents the gasoline engine to power his boat. Now he can rip and roar by man-made power and ignore the Wind. Whether we like to admit it or not, most people have a dominate lifestyle choice, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. We do choose. We can choose and do choose; with or without the help of God.

So try to envision with me the sweat and strain of the Rowboat, or the noise and power of the Motorboat churning up the waters, or the peace and beauty of the Sailboat. Now I think we all look at the beauty of a Sailboat with great admiration, it touches our soul, but in spite of that, statistics show most of us never become true Soul Sailors, we’ve always been a minority.

It is interesting to note we are currently in a forced event that would test the metal of any Soul Sailor. If you claim to be the Captain of a sailboat, have you felt the strain of staying true to your chosen path? Did you panic over toilet paper? Did you need anti-anxiety meds? Have you gone stir crazy in the house? Did your prayer life grow? Your study time? Your peace? Or have the shipboards been moaning and creaking under the strain? Do not fear brothers and sisters, your sails will see you through long after the Motorboat has been too long at sea and run out of gas, and the Rowboat is adrift, overwhelmed with exhaustion.

Of course this Blog Site is all about being a true Soul Sailor. For those who hunger for such a romantic life at sea, this is the place to be! I take the word “sailor” very literally. In other words, I love those who are so dedicated to the Wind that they have thrown the oars overboard! They have cut the motor loose and watched it sink to the ocean floor! They are true sailors! They are entirely dependent upon their sails catching the power and direction of the Wind! They are in love with the Wind and Sea!

Are we in uncharted waters? Whether we be Rowboat, Motorboat, or Sailboat, I think we are. Rowboats are already busy in the kitchen, perhaps in a panic, trying to work their way through this. Motorboats are studying the stock market and trying to think their way through. But Sailboats? They’re at the feet of Jesus simply in love with his every word.

In some ways, nothing ever really changes for us. And I mean that in a good way. Things outside us change a lot, but that within us has been trained to maintain course. We do not walk by sight, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God! Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever. It’s good to have that kind of control, no matter what storms may arise. That which happens around us does not change that which is within us.

Jesus even said once: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.“ (John 3:8)

Many claim to live by the Wind, but their lifestyle, their daily actions, indicates otherwise.

I’m keeping this short because as all of us Captains of the various boats are navigating these uncharted waters, I feel led to delve into this my favorite analogy for a series. This will be the opening article for a series I’m calling: “Soul Sailors” I want to raise up more true spiritual sailors. I want to encourage all those who have a heart like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, in love with the sea, the Spirit, while Martha raced around in the kitchen worried and fretting over many things. Jesus did rebuke her, you realize. He said it in kindness, but it was a rebuke.

I hope you will enjoy this series and not miss a single beautiful sunrise as we fall more and more in love with life at sea in a sailboat powered by the Wind!