Life is like rowing a boat where you only have one oar. Your focus is not to be at the end of your oar. The power of your stroke. The evidence of your effort displacing and troubling the water, but over the bow. The destination. More than that, seeing and acknowledging that there there is a relationship you have with another. Without which you would go in circles. A necessary relationship with someone who is working with you to get to an agreed destination. You are called to match that partner, stroke for stroke, strong or weak, in order to achieve the destination. Not to fight with one another to go one way or the other. Not to overwhelm or under perform, but to equal and encourage to maintain a straight path and to increase strength and speed in order to reach the agreeable destination. There is something to be said about rowing in that your back is to the destination and the power is in the pull and not a push. The action of rowing engages the full strength of the body. The feet and legs lock your body into the boat, seemingly becoming a part of it. Pushing with your legs and pulling with your back and arms, the boat begins to skim along the surface of the water. In tandem with the rowing partner, the boat cuts a straight path toward the final destination. There is a captain. He knows and points to the destination (because your back is to the front. You cannot see clearly.) What’s in front of you is where you’ve been and how far you’ve come.
This is a Parable, a Shadow, a parallel, a story or an example. The destination is the Everlasting Kingdom of God, The Captain of the boat is Christ, He knows the destination. He points the way. He is in the boat with you. The boat is faith. The rowing partner is the church and your relationship to it. (Another relevant relationship is with your spouse and your family). It is also your choice and commitment to press yourself into service in order to achieve that destination. Your power and the combined power of the rowing pair is the Holy Spirit (or the unholy spirit if the captain of the boat is not Jesus). The water is the time spent in this life between the start and end of the trip. Pick your partner well. Trust The Captain. Stay in the boat. Keep on rowing.
Commentaires