Being by the ocean here on our island of Mindoro, we see a lot of boats and ships. Yesterday two small fishing boats came up to where I was praying on the beach early in the morning, and the Filipinos who got out had a very specific process of bringing the boat out of the water to dock it in the sand so that it wouldn’t be carried back out to sea while they were away selling their fish. The first boat had a man and a woman. I noticed them when they were out in the water a ways, and instead of steering right up to the shore, they zig-zagged back and forth, expertly avoiding the high areas of sand hidden under the water so they could get as close as possible before hitting land. Once ashore, the woman jumped out and held the boat against the strength of the waves pulling it back out to sea while the man ran and grabbed two long coconut leaves. He placed the leaves under the path of the boat, and then the man and woman worked together to push the boat onto the leaves. They took turns moving the coconut leaf that was towards the back of the boat to the front of the boat so that they could continue pushing it up the sand without scraping the bottom of the boat on the rocks or getting it stuck in the sand. They moved quickly and efficiently. They were consistent in their actions-it was evident they had done this many times and that this process was now a habitual action for them.
As I watched them work, I was captivated by how easy they made the process look. And yet I know that it probably took them months, even years to become so confident in their movements. They probably struggled to drag that boat ashore day after day after day at one time. Perhaps the man, at first, tried to complete the challenge on his own thinking he wouldn’t need the woman’s help. Maybe they scraped the boat along the rocky bottom of the shore a few times before they learned where the water was deep enough to navigate the boat close enough to get out and push. And I am sure that using coconut leaves to ease the path of the boat wasn’t a method they knew to do without trial. Developing the skills needed to be successful was a process.
I think Christians can learn from this. Being on the world race, being surrounded by a community of Christians, calling myself a missionary-these realities pressure me to feel like I need to have it all together. I need to be able to consistently be in God’s Word every day. I need to set aside an hour for prayer every morning. I need to have all the major bible verses memorized so I can use them throughout my day. I need to meet a certain level of achievement and growth every day in order to consider myself worthy of this calling I’m living out.
Guess what-I fail at all of these. Frequently. And, I have found that so many Christians beat themselves up for what they consider failing in these same aspects. Then they get discouraged and begin believing the lie that they will never reach their goal of consistent pursuit of the Lord through scripture and prayer.
So do we just give up? No! Rather, we continue striving towards these goals! In fact, striving towards them, even when we hit hiccups and periods of inconsistency, means that we are, in fact, being successful in our pursuit of the Lord. It is when we give up completely that we should question our heart. These spiritual disciplines are things we should seek to fulfill. I want to be reading in the bible daily, and praying without ceasing, and pulling out scriptures to encourage and direct myself and others throughout my day. And when I fall short of my view of success in those areas, I have to remind myself that they are skills, and they require development. Growing to be consistent in them is a process, just like what the fishermen went through as they learned their skill. So when you feel like you’re pushing and pushing to move forward and just not getting anywhere, or when you struggle because the waves of life are trying to carry you back where you came from, remember the fishermen. Remember that pursuing the Lord is a process, and that He has grace for your shortcomings and is patient with you as you seek to develop those skills.
