Straining at the Oars

When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and Jesus was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid. “Then Jesus got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.  ~ Mark 6:47-51

Friends, how often have you been in that boat, straining at the oars against an adverse wind? Why do we resist? Do we think we know better than God? Does our fear keep us living at the surface, never giving trust a chance to build?

I remember when I was about 8 years old, swimming in the salty ocean water of an island cove. In April. It was freezing! But that wasn’t the worst part. I feared I would drown. I had a life jacket on, I knew how to swim, the water was calm, and we were being supervised. Yes, everyone thought my friend and I were crazy to do this but that’s not the point. The point was that I did not trust my life jacket, the thing designed to specifically keep me afloat. It took every ounce of courage I had to let go of the dock and swim out a few strokes. Even though I was a good swimmer with safety gear on, I looked like a thrashing dog because of my terror. Within minutes my friend and I returned to dry land.

When I was 10 another friend and I took out a dinghy at the lake we were staying at. I sat passively while he rowed furiously. We went around in circles until we realized we would continue to be restrained until we untied our craft.

That was the kid version of straining at the oars. How strenuously do you force yourself to resist trust now, to resist true freedom now?

The paradox of trusting Jesus is that to be free you have to submit. Submit your pride, submit your expectations, submit your will. God may let your pride be hurt and your expectations be dashed, but he will never, ever force your will. Even if it means you will bear the natural consequences of your actions, even if you sin, even if you face death.

I have sort of wondered at times if he trusts us too much when he knows how untrustworthy we can be. I wonder if he’s given us too much freedom in regard to our wills. But legislated love isn’t love at all. And the more I come to know him, to fathom how much he loves me, the more I want to do his will. Its not always easy, even when things are going well. But it’s always better than straining at the oars.