Other Boats

Mark 4:36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

Have you ever wondered the impact your life if having on those around you? Or maybe this is something that comes with age, as we mature. We become a little bit less self-absorbed. Selfies just don’t seem to matter as much as they used to. Of course for some of us selfies didn’t exist. It took several days for the film to be processed and the actual physical photos to be picked up, envelope opened, and photos examined one at a time. The immediacy just wasn’t present as it is today.

When we are younger, most of us focused more on the immediate needs of life, the rent, the groceries and the diapers. There were very pressing issues that seemed to pull us into a world not of our choosing. The fancy vacations weren’t as fancy or as frequent as we wanted. Life had consumed us! We were drowning!

I can imagine Jesus felling this way as he got into the boat. Our text tells us that Jesus’ companions “took him along.” Those words tell a story. It is as if Jesus didn’t have the energy to bring himself to the boat. His energy was sapped from the ministry he was doing. Life was sucking him dry.

Notice the next phrase, “just as he was.” We don’t know exactly what that phrase implies, but we do see what happens next. Jesus falls asleep in the back of the boat and has to be woken up to stop the storm. Now that is tired. People around you frantically struggling to save their lives and you are asleep in the back like a baby, not a care in the world.

But one thing I had never noticed before is that there were other boats on this journey in that storm. I had always pictured the lone boat on the turbulent waves. One boat getting to the point of swamping. But there were other boats, other people who watched, experienced and could tell the story of what happened. They were there.

That is our lives. As we allow the LORD to work in us and through us, other people are in the next boat, observing, experiencing and telling. What happens in our boat, in our car, in our work, in our family is watched by other people. They are in turbulent times as well, and how we weather the storm is seen and has an impact.

I wonder what those people observing our life see? Do they see Jesus calming our storm, or do they see our frantic attempts to take control and fix it ourselves? Do they see the bailing buckets being filled and dumped over the sides? Do they see us lashing down our sails to protect them from the wind? Do they see us yelling at our kids or coworkers, or other people in traffic, or mumbling under our breath in a checkout line.

Remember, our family is in the boat, our neighbors are in the boat next to us. Our coworkers are in the boat across the cubicle wall. Do they see Jesus calming the storm?

This is why we need our circle. We need that small group of people who will help us gain perspective, challenge our perceptions, push us to grow rather than slink back into complacency. Our life matters! The way we do life makes a difference, to us and to others who are watching.

And we get to determine what happens in our boat as we respond to life. We can call on Jesus early rather than waiting until we are about to drown. It doesn’t have to be a crisis to bring us to our knees. We can volunteer to drop to our knees in surrender at any time.

Remember, there are other boats!