Sailing Toward the Cross of Christ

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8 (ESV)

Come sail with us as we reflect on how God uses an ordinary people to do ordinary things, and occasional miraculous things, with the continual guidance of the Holy Spirit in or life.

Accepting responsibility for your own actions and attitudes is contrary to the way many of us live our lives. We like to play the blame game by shifting responsibility or blame to other people. I was a military weather forecaster for many years and trained numerous new forecasters. It was always the case, without exception that I can recall, that the new person would use the phrase "they said/say" in reference to the forecast he or she was giving. When I pressed them into why they used that phrase, sometimes it was because they were shifting responsibility to another forecaster but most of the time, it was a nebulous reference to a computer-generated model. The question I then asked was, "who is signing the DD175-1" (the weather forecast form given for every military flight mission)? Since the forecaster signed the form, no one else could be held responsible for the information the forecaster was sharing. He or she had to take responsibility for the information being disseminated.

The shifts and blames are often so subtle no one notices, even the person communicating. We cannot shift blame overtly or covertly for our discipleship. We cannot make excuses for not following the Holy Spirit. We must take full responsibility for our actions and attitudes as we sail the open waters of life.

To be guided effectively by the Holy Spirit, you need to accept who you are in Him. You must be prepared to live differently than non-believers and casual Christians live. Being fully guided by the Holy Spirit is very comforting yet unbelievably difficult, if not impossible, to be grasped by anyone not fully submitted to Him. Living your life by navigating the open waters of life by the Holy Spirit is an exciting and rewarding experience. It means that you’re taking a unique path and allowing God to create a life for you that no one else has lived before. It can be a bit scary at first, as you have to figure out your way of navigating the unknown. But as you look back on your journey, you can be proud of yourself for taking the risk and embracing the journey God has for you and you alone. You’ll learn new skills and gain confidence in your ability to make the right decisions. You’ll also get to explore new places, meet interesting people, and learn valuable lessons along the way. All of these experiences will enrich your life and make you a more well-rounded person. So, don’t be afraid to take the plunge and set sail on your journey. You’re sure to find adventure and fulfillment if you do.

As a devoted disciple of Christ, I need to accept that I will never be fully mature on this side of heaven. But I do have a responsibility to continue to grow as a disciple of Christ. I've always been a big-picture, visually-oriented learner. I like to see how what I am doing fits into the bigger picture with the given task, project, or life situation I find myself in. Normally, this is accomplished with visual tools, such as mindmaps and graphics. This tendency to be big-picture and visually focused can lead to procrastination and delays in decision-making or following through with tasks.

Early on as a disciple of Christ, this way of thinking led to a desire to be someone God didn't create for me to be and led me down the wrong path. In seeking discipleship growth, I tried following people whom I admired in their Christian journey by mimicking what I saw them doing. Other times I thought growth might come through climbing a spiritual ladder of sorts by progressing to more "in-depth" study and discovery. Ultimately, I actively searched and prayed that God would reveal what it means to be a growing, maturing Christian. The picture God clearly placed in me was that of a sailboat on the open ocean with the sails billowing with the wind.

Our lives are not to be lived on a path trod by someone else or on a preset map already navigated. We are to hoist the sail and follow the Holy Spirit's design for our life lives on the open waters of life. We are often tempted to grab the rudder and impede the work of the Holy Spirit by tacking in a direction He didn't intend. If we simply allow Him to guide us in making small rudder corrections with the wind of the Holy Spirit, our journey will be smooth and not shifting rapidly to and fro.

It is frightening to set sail on the open waters of life and give our Father complete control, yet it is also the one thing in my life that has given me the most freedom. The freedom to be who God designed me to be – in His image, not my image or someone else's. I no longer have to worry about who I am or what I'm meant to be as I did in the past. My identity is in Christ alone and the roles I play are revealed as I listen to His promptings. No, I don't always get it right, but that's a part of the beauty of His guidance. If I am fully submitted to following Him, He is better able to use gentle nudges for path corrections. Too many times I have ignored communication with Him through prayer and scripture primarily, and have strayed too far off course. That is my stubborn nature and He has had to use what I call the spiritual 2x4 across my head to get my attention. While that's effective, nudges feel much better.

I continue to grow and mature in all areas of my life; however, the decision to embrace the life of a devoted disciple never wavers. I try not to dwell on the past but rather take brief glimpses back to discern what lessons I need to take away from my mistakes. Knowing that my heavenly Father loves and accepts me unconditionally gives me the freedom to pursue His journey in the way He desires for me.