Last week as I was walking along the beach, there was a sailboat leaning
over on its side upon the dry sand. Close by, an anchor was lying on the ground, still attached to its poor owner, “Zing” from Virginia Beach. “Oh, my!” I thought. “This boat is quite far from where it’s supposed to be.”
It’s possible that this sailboat may have been traveling offshore and wasn’t that far from my beach, but the bigger dilemma was that boats are supposed to be in the water, not up on the shore!
As I gazed and photographed poor Zing, the Lord gently reminded me how similar I can be to this sailboat. There have been times when I, too, was far from where I was supposed to be — beached and out of place. I didn’t feel I was in God’s will, yet I was stuck — unable (or unwilling) to move.
There are two ways to be beached: physically, like in a job or a certain situation; and mentally, in our minds and beliefs. I personally tend to get stuck mentally. I lose focus of the path God put before me, or I get easily distracted by other things, and the next thing I know, I’m sitting high and dry out of the water.
Boats are made to be in the water. Having grown up sailing with my family, sailboats glide through the water effortlessly when the sails are set well. Harnessing the wind only, there’s a simple flow in their movements. It feels natural — the vessel is doing what it was made to do.
If we’re not doing what God made us to do, it usually feels unnatural or out of place. Not that we won’t have some unusual things to go through on our “God path,” but when we’re in His will, there’s usually grace for the experience. If we’re not, we feel like a beached sailboat.
Poor Zing has been beached here in Atlantic Beach for over a week now. She’s been moved around a little with the tides coming in, but still not where she’s supposed to be. No one has pulled her back into the deep water nor taken her away for repairs. Fortunately for us, God doesn’t leave
us grounded like Zing. Isaiah 58:9 tells us that when you call on Him, He will say, “Here I am.” Father God is always near to us, to rescue us, help us, and bring us back to where we belong.
If you’re feeling stuck or beached or just out of place, call upon the Lord. He will answer you. He will never leave you beached and alone. He has a course laid out for you (Jer. 29:11) and He’s happy to pull you back to where you’re supposed to be.