Life Lessons from Sailing: Harnessing the Wind

By Linda McDougal

I have found that journeying through life, like boating, is multi-faceted.

For example, when on the water, one has several different points of sail from which to choose (as a means of determining a vessel’s direction relative to the wind).

I believe the decisions we make (regarding our course and speed) will directly affect how we cruise through life.

Every step we take, whether we tack or jibe (i.e. change course directions) will determine how well we will maneuver through life’s poignant excursions.

For me, some seasons in life have seemed relatively easy, but others have proved to be difficult. Some intervals of time have seemed to drag on, while other snapshots of memory have sped by in a flash.

As I look back on the twenty-four years (when I was raising my children) as a stay-at-home mom, what I see mostly is a dull blur.

On the flip side, there have been times when I have felt like I was caught in a ditch, spinning my tires and going nowhere. (Please excuse the over-used idioms in this memoir).

Wouldn’t you agree that being stuck between a “rock and a hard place” – making very little progress toward our goals – is frustrating, to say the least.

Metaphorically, in sailing terms this monotomous time is described as being “in irons.”

In this ”no sail zone,” your vessel is heading straight into the wind, barely making any headway at all: simply limping along.

Likewise in life, when our goals have seemingly disappeared from sight (and we are exhausted from the beating gale), discouragement can set in.

We lose our forward steam.

It’s as if the words of purpose have become invisible ink on the page: they went missing and you can’t get them back.

I confess, I really dislike the times life has thrown me a curve ball.

I rarely am ready for the disruption it brings. One minute, I had plans to zig, but now the only option is to zag.

The end result proves the point: I am going nowhere fast. As a task-oriented person, it’s an understatement (to say the least): I really disdain change.

My only saving grace … my true hearts desire… my unspoken prayer …is that difficult times in life make me more intimately acquainted with the Divine Creator (whose mighty power and presence can easily harness any adversity).

Might you be interested in knowing about the Master of The Universe?

Keep your sails “tuned” for my next blog.

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8