sailing

When it was determined that we were to sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were placed in the custody of a centurion named Julius of the Imperial Company. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia. So we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, came with us. The next day we landed in Sidon. Julius treated Paul kindly and permitted him to go to some friends so they could take care of him. From there we sailed off. We passed Cyprus, using the island to shelter us from the headwinds. We sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, and landed in Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship headed for Italy and put us on board. After many days of slow and difficult sailing, we arrived off the coast of Cnidus. The wind wouldn’t allow us to go farther, so we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone. We sailed along the coast only with difficulty until we came to a place called Good Harbors, near the city of Lasea. Much time had been lost, and the voyage was now dangerous since the Day of Reconciliation had already passed. Paul warned them, “Men, I see that our voyage will suffer damage and great loss, not only for the cargo and ship but also for our lives.” But the centurion was persuaded more by the ship’s pilot and captain than by Paul’s advice. Since the harbor was unsuitable for spending the winter, the majority supported a plan to put out to sea from there. They thought they might reach Phoenix in Crete and spend the winter in its harbor, which faced southwest and northwest. (Acts 27:1-12, CEB)

I have read this passage of scripture many times and while it made sense, I understood it more after being part of a sailing team. There was a trip every year that the club the captain of the boat I sailed on belonged to called where the wind blows. The people who participated set a week to sail, and every morning they would rise and gather for a meeting and discuss the way the wind was blowing and determine the harbor they would sail to that day. They would then sail there and sleep on their boats for the night and do the same thing the next day. One could say they were at the mercy of the wind, or they were understanding that we could set a course for the week but the wind probably won’t cooperate. It was a fun trip for me because I am merely a helping hand, or weight during races, that is a whole other blog post. I had no idea how to read the waters or the winds, although I did learn a few things from being on the water with these sailors for so many years.

This text is not just a story, but an occurrence. The weather played a part in the journey, and like all of our lives, sometimes we have to be ready to abandon our plans and go where the winds blow.

But while you go where the wind blows remember to love along the way.

Loving People. Loving God.