Amy Waxes Poetic

Once upon a time there was a beautiful little ship. She was perfectly made. The Master Shipbuilder had seen to that. He and His Captain had special plans for this ship. 

For many years she served the purpose for which she was created. But her missions were not without peril. Many times storms ravaged the little ship tossing her around and taxing her masts and sails. Other times she got too close to shore and her hull was scraped by coral reefs. Barnacles gathered on her underside and small cracks developed all over.

Still the ship served her Captain faithfully always looking forward to the next adventure and pointing her bow into the wind. Ready and able to do what her Master had created her for.

But over the years more stress showed along the body of the ship. Her sails didn’t raise or furl quite as quickly as they used to. The masts creaked and groaned in strong winds. The rudder didn’t respond as well as before.

Occasionally the Captain would steer the little ship into a sheltered harbor or peaceful port, but she didn’t fully appreciate these times. She wanted to work. To be a blessing. To fulfill her purpose. So, stubbornly she would point her nose back out to sea and because she was a free vessel and not bound, the Captain would let her go.

However, she continued to get worse and showed serious signs of breaking down. Patchworks weren’t going to do it anymore.

The Captain and Master Shipbuilder decided it was time for the ship to have a rest. To spend some time in a dry dock having her weak spots attended to. Her hull needed polishing, her masts needed strengthening, her sails needed mending, and her rudder needed adjusting.

The ship was sad about this decision. She was made for the high seas. She was made for adventure. She was made to serve. How could she fulfill her purpose if she was stuck in a dry dock merely being tended to? Perhaps she would never make it back into the water. Perhaps her Captain would lose sight of her if she wasn’t in the middle of the action.

But she yielded to the Wisdom she knew He had and the Love that she knew would carry her through.

The beginning of her time in the dry dock was hard. She missed the open waves. She didn’t know if she would ever be the same. Plus, the renovation and reconstruction was not without pain and difficulty. Hard, crusty barnacles had to be shaved off. Large pieces of wood had to be removed and replaced with new wood. Her sails needed intensive repair.

But, day by day, she began to see the change. Old, dry wood began to gleam under the ministrations of the Shipbuilders’ workers. She felt that she could breathe again with much of the debris and corrosion removed. She learned to enjoy the rest and peace of the dock.

Soon her Shipbuilder and Captain decided she could head back into the water again. Much of the renovation had been completed and she was needed for more missions. However, she would need to avoid rough waters and stay away from shallow shores where damage could be done to fresh repairs. Her freight loads would need to be monitored so as not to weigh the ship down and cause her to ride too low in the water.

They wanted her to come back for regular repairs and maintenance to avoid getting as worn down as before. This would help the ship to fulfill her purpose once more.

One day she may be ready for the high seas again. But for now, she is happy to be back at work doing what she was created for. And now she is much better about letting her Captain guide her through the seas and is giving him control of the wheel.