Reflection: What a Ship Is Built For
This parable encourages us to be mindful of the fact that Jesus had just been accused of hanging out with the wrong kind of people. With that in mind, what if we understood this parable as a challenge to be like the shepherd in the story and courageously and persistently go into the wild places of this world and show the same kind of love for the lost and unwanted that we have experienced at the hands of Jesus? There is an old saying that a ship is safest when it’s in harbour, but that isn’t what a ship is built for. So too for us – we are safest when we are surrounded by other Christians, but that isn’t what we are called to. We are called to be the ones who go into the wild storms of life and show the same extraordinary love for the lost and unwanted that we experienced when we too were lost.
What does the safety of the harbour look like for you at the moment? What wild storm might Jesus be calling you to in order to courageously and even dangerously demonstrate his love?
At the time of writing, Chaplain James Sutherland was the Chaplain in HMAS Ballarat and on deployment in the Middle East.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to be mindful of the ways that we resist your call to the wild and dangerous places of this world where the lost and the unwanted dwell. Lord, instead fill us with the courage and determination to follow your example in demonstrating a persistent, gracious and extraordinary love.