Sailing, Urban Daydreams, and God

Robin McFee

Drmcfee2020@gmail.com

 For those who know me, I’ve been increasingly posting on my FB page about sailboats and sailing – a preoccupation due to lack of occupation with my beloved avocation. At Christmas I was desperate enough to ask Santa please bring me a boat.

 I’m surprised I didn’t find a rubber ducky in a sail boat toy on my doorstep if not in my stocking.

To be sure I could try cold weather sailing but I have no desire to revisit the adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton, thank you very much.  I don’t even like ice in my beverages, so the notion of frigidly furling and unfurling sails has zip appeal.

But yes I frequently have that urban daydream (also the name of a beautiful painting by Webb) being on a sailboat heading out to sea, being propelled by balmy winds, on gentle tides, with beaches in my view fore and aft.

Ahhhh such imagery. Urban daydreaming!

Maybe your version of urban daydreaming is a golf vacation in the Carolinas. Or snorkeling in the Caribbean.

That said, not all urban daydreams turn out as we like.

Carolina golf courses have alligators – lots of them. That log that keeps looking at you, well if your ball lands near it, might I suggest you take a Mulligan?!

Oh and snorkeling or SCUBA in the Caribbean? Been there, done that. Keep an eye out for the sharks.  Last I checked, they don’t take a Mulligan.

And for anyone who spent time on the water, not all sailing is smooth sailing..

Doubt me? Just ask Jonah, or the Apostle Paul, or the Disciples. Their idyllic watery sojourns didn’t end as they had hoped…..

Jonah was trying to run away from God. Seriously dude, what were you thinking? Not a swift idea! Try to dodge one of God’s requests and you could end up like Jonah, and get barfed out of a big fish onto a beach, smelling really, really bad.

Paul on the other hand was sailing towards his God given destiny, and he got shipwrecked. Not only that, but working on the island they came upon (Malta) a snake had the temerity to bite Paul, while doing the Lord’s work no less. Cheeky reptile. Hopefully it ended up as lunch over the charcoals. I digress.

Recall in Matthew 14 Jesus sent His Disciples out on a nighttime boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. It became anything but a smooth sail.

My friends and I went sailing from South Florida, heading towards the Keys. Only two of us had experience on sailboats. Think Gilligan’s Island 2.0. We started off on gentle winds, and then several miles offshore got slammed by an unpredicted uncharted storm – at times boat swallowing waves and heavy winds slammed us.

Somehow we went from Gilligan heading to Key Largo, to Paul crashing near Malta. The laughter driving boating vacation I had dreamt about became a survival sail.

Thankfully (and clearly given I’m here typing about it), we made it safely, and ended up seeing an incredible sunset from the bow on near still waters.  But it could have ended far differently.

I’m sure all of us uttered a prayer or two. There are no agnostics or atheists in fox holes or boats pitching and bobbing in gale winds.

No boat ride is ever without risk. No endeavor once we get off the couch and into the real world is ever truly ordinary. Just ask the families of the seven fishermen lost at sea a few days ago.

Whether for income or enjoyment once we step out into the world we need to be mindful of our increasing need for God’s Presence and Provision, if not outright Protection.

Thankfully He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

I hope the fishermen felt His Presence and Peace as the Lord welcomed them Home on what had to be those terror filled last moments.

Dangerous occupations and sports are always a changing tide from pleasure to peril. But then life is like that, and the more we remember that, the more we will hold tight – not to the mast or the sheets or the safety lines but to our Lord, in calm seas and rough ones.

For me, I’ve learned it is better to hold the Lord’s Hand in good times not just bad ones. It is in our connectedness, the relationship we work to build with our Savior that is the real joy and comfort in life, even without the palm trees, and sunrises from the bow on a tropical morning.

It’s by looking toward, talking to, sharing with the Lord, our everyday moments, paying attention to every sunrise, whether over snowy lawns or ice encased trees, or sand dunes, these become the most beautiful ones, because it is when we recognize God is our Portion, and every good gift is through Him, that even in the midst of daily storms, we are sailing in the daily bounty and blessings, peace and comfort of our Savior.

That said, I am still urban daydreaming – thinking of the next time I can helm a sailboat. That will be on God’s timing, not mine.

And I am mindful that every dream has a cost, a blessing, even a potential purpose.  God often uses our pleasure and pain, happy moments and harrowing experiences for a greater purpose.

Jonah, after he got a shower, and brushed his teeth, went on to deliver God’s message of salvation to Ninevah. Could God have found a different messenger and let the fish digest His wayward prophet? Of course! But God had a purpose for Jonah as the specific message bearer. More on that in another blog article.

Paul managed to inspire lots of folks – on the boat and on Malta through the shipwreck. God’s purpose was fulfilled in a dream like setting and a disaster at sea. Then, given God having a sense of humor, arranged for Paul to be on another boat ride!

The Disciples, especially Peter, got a lot of important spiritual lessons on their boating adventure- stormy peril. More in another blog article.

No endeavor is without an opportunity to serve the Lord or feel His Presence.

So when I next haul the sails and pull anchor, that timeframe is still an unknown. But one thing is for sure – I won’t be alone on the boat. My ever Present Lord will be with me in mind, spirit and somewhere on deck, too. And most importantly, somehow, some way there will be an opportunity for me to serve or reflect Him along the way.

All that said, whether you, like me, are taking a moment or two urban daydreaming, while still hard at work, take assurance that God knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11), so sit back, look around for the Lord in the beauty, the challenges, the highs and lows of the day, and leave the tee time, the sailing hour, the flight schedule, to Him.

Sailing, Urban Daydreams, and God – whatever and wherever our journey leads us, and if we are open to, look for, and listen to the Holy Spirit, the Lord can use our moments of work and play to His greater purpose.  

In the mean time, what shall I do to reflect the love of God between sailing and urban dreams?