Weekday Devotion With Pastor Chris

I came across a sobering line while reading one of my favorite magazines last week: “While Cospas-Sarsat [a global satellite system that can pick up distress signals from the sea] has been credited with saving more than 46,000 lives since 1982…”  I paused right there.  I was impressed that the system has saved so many lives, but I was a bit stunned to find out that so many people required saving in this modern era.  Let’s see: 46,000 divided by 38 years – that works out to over 1,200 a year, and that is just the number who actually had access to satellite signaling devices (epirbs) in the first place. 

     I did a little research.  It is estimated that of those who make their living on the sea, about 2000 are lost every year.  IHS Maritime reports that in 2013 there were 138 ships lost which is slightly more than two each week.  These aren't little motorboats or sailboats.  These are large commercial vessels.  As The Guardian put it, “The ocean is the most dangerous workplace on the planet. Commercial seafaring is considered to be the second-most dangerous occupation in the world; deep-sea fishing is the first.” 

     What about recreational sailors like me?  In 2015, the Coast Guard counted 4,158 accidents in U.S. waters resulting in 626 deaths, 2,613 injuries and approximately $42 million dollars of damage.  I wonder how much bigger those numbers would be if we could get the statistics worldwide?  Still, that's a lot of accidents and a lot of deaths.

     Looking for some reassurance, I turned to an article with the lead “Sailing is safer than driving”.  When I took a closer look, the author based that assertion on the following: “For every 100,000 people, 5 will die in a boat related accident (2015 Coast Guard); For every 100,000 people, 11 will die in a car related accident (2015 NHTSA).”  But wait a second: aren’t there exponentially more people driving cars than out sailing?”  This wasn't reassuring at all!  Turns out the website was for a sailing school. 

     Maybe it is age, but my sense of invincibility out on the water has diminished through the years.  Where I didn’t hesitate to take our kids out for a sail when they were little, today I find I’m anxious just at the thought of having a grandchild on board.  Part of me can’t wait to teach my grandchildren to sail.  Another part is very aware of the risks involved every time you board a boat.  I'm a bit worried that I’m going to be so over-protective of my grandchildren that I’ll end up suffocating the sense of joy and freedom that comes with raising the sail.

     The truth is, life is full of risks.  This pandemic has certainly raised our awareness of it, but the risks have always been there: there when we get behind the wheel of a car; there when we step into the shower; there when we go up or down the steps with a load of laundry or climb a ladder to fix something beyond our reach.  We don’t ignore the risks, but we don’t let them paralyze us either.  We take the appropriate precautions, and we move forward as best we can.

     The good news in all of this is that we don’t move forward alone.  The Good Shepherd walks beside us, to guide and protect us along the way.  The same One who was there for the Apostle Paul and his shipmates when their boat foundered off the coast of Malta, is here with us, as well.  He will not abandon us.  He will provide for us with every step we take.  And at the end of this great voyage, He will be there to greet us on the other side, and to welcome us into his loving arms.

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.”  (1 Thessalonians 4:14)