Monthly Devotional
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
I never feel comfortable in the bow of a canoe. If fact, I despise paddling up front for so many reasons. Essentially the bow person’s only job is to provide the horsepower and set the pace for paddling. The frustration and final realization comes when one tries to steer from the front of a canoe. A bow person has very little control over where the canoe goes. I suppose one could continually switch from side to side to get the craft to travel in a straight direction while spending the remaining amount of energy struggling to provide any efficiency in speed. All to no avail. In short being in the bow is out of control…and I don’t like being out of control.
Now the stern is where I like to be. It’s where the guide sits: map on the floor, compass balanced on one knee, having full knowledge of everything out in front of me. From here steering becomes an art form; the gentle tweak of the paddle’s blade as it moves though the water with each stroke provides effortless maneuvering. Taking a compass bearing from precise maps allows the stern person to clearly communicate with the bow person putting to rest their anxiety about the unknown which lies ahead. Now this is fully in control…so I like the stern.
However, I don’t know that we have the opportunity to sit in the stern of our own life as it glides through the watery maze of this existence. I think God plops us down in the bow seat and calls us to paddle while He sits in the stern.
Many of us like to think we are sitting in the stern…we thrash through our day-to-day life trying to create direction and momentum. Some of us have even become somewhat proficient, cheering ourselves on as we splash from side to side. But if we stop and take a break from our paddling we can see how drenched we have become and just how little distance we have covered…only to end up exhausted and discouraged.
I don’t like it any better than you, but we are in the bow. The Guide does not say “Paddle longer, stronger, harder!” but instead “Listen, pick a long distance pace and focus on what I am telling you because I am not going to yell over your flailing”
If you have spent any time in a canoe you can easily recognize a veteran pair of paddling partners. They hit the water with clear communication about a destination on the horizon and then, as good friends do, quietly continue their conversation through life’s meandering story. Once they have reached their destination they communicate again for direction, stern to bow, and off they go; not having to reiterate what is out in front of them. The bow trusts that the stern can read the map and has their best interest in mind. In turn, the stern cares deeply about maintaining a laser straight direction and providing the most meaningful and beautiful journey for them both. If the bow sees something of interest the stern easily compensates, always keeping the final destination in mind. But the telltale mark is their paddling cadence, perfectly in sync. The bow confidently sets a steady pace and the stern follows suit in perfect rhythm keeping the canoe from listing side to side.
A canoe trip is not easy, nor is life. But they are good! I still enjoy sitting in the stern of a canoe, but I am learning more deeply my place is in the bow of my own life. It’s not an easy lesson, or a fun one, but I want to paddle life with my God; swift and quiet, controlled and at peace. I want to go deep into the backcountry of His Kingdom because He wants to take me there. By realizing we are in the bow and God sits in the stern, it is well with our soul and a great adventure will lie ahead.
Jedidiah Scharmer