The journey becomes possible

God asked me “Do you trust Me?” I answered “Yes Lord.” And then God said, “I’m sending you to the water.”

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I will live on a sailboat. I imagined idyllic tropical islands forming the backdrop of life filled with sunsets, fun and laughter. It’s been nothing like that. We have had our days in the sun. We have a lot of fun too, but for someone like me, sailboat living can be really difficult.

I’m not very athletic, and sailboat living can be very physical. You have to work with ropes to tighten sails, row the dinghy when the engine decides to quit and sometimes you have to hang on for dear life when the sailboat is screaming through the water with waves splashing over the boat from every direction.

For me though the joy has been the experience of living in the moment. I have grown in intimacy with Jesus. He is there in every sunrise and every sunset. He looks on with enjoyment when I am overcome with joy when we see dolphins or whales or sharks!

It is against this backdrop that I get to serve people – right there on the beach where we anchored for the day. God brings all kinds of people on our path – rich, poor – it doesn’t matter. He ministers to them each individually on a level that meets them at their point of need.

Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. ) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

John 4:6-10

It is also true that my body cannot always keep up with the rigours of this lifestyle and that I suffer from a lot of pain. Jesus also became physically tired – more so than his disciples who had enough energy to hit the shops. But He also knew that the woman at the well needed Him. He knows that this woman needs Him and He knows that you, my sister, need Him.

He will give us rest when we need it. He puts prayers into the hearts of the people who love us and because He paid the price on the cross, we get to drink from the well of living water. And so despite the weakness of my body, God makes it possible for me to be on this journey. I hope that this will give you some hope to endure – whatever journey you are on.