LIGHTEN THE SHIP

By Clinton White

A visitor to this country was asked his impression of Americans. He said, "They are a race of people who run up escalators!"

His amusing observation was only partly correct. Expending energy when we could relax is a trait of human nature everywhere, it isn't just an American oddity. We see it demonstrated all over the world in one way or another.

On a BOAC flight from Trinidad to New York, the air became turbulent and the plane rocked. I noticed a man sitting across the aisle begin to grip the edge of his seat until his knuckles were white as snow. He pushed both feet hard into the floor as if he, by his own brute strength, could keep the plane in the air. The powerful craft was churning beautifully through the stormy air. The man might just as well have sat back and relaxed because no effort on his part could have helped the tiniest bit. I am sure he knew this, but nevertheless he kept on straining until the flight became calm again.

What is it in human nature that makes us do things like this?

Passengers in automobiles often take the burden of driving even though they have no control over the car at all. They twist their shoulders on the turns and drive their feet into the floor boards when it's time to apply the brakes. Have you ever done that? I have!

Why? What makes us do that sort of thing?

We were having some contracting work done, and a big bulldozer was on the land clearing boulders. I asked the operator if he would teach me how it worked. He put me at the controls and showed me how to push the blade against one of the huge rocks. Then I opened up the throttle and the rock began to move. But I was so tense! Perspiration began to bead out on my forehead. My tongue was thrust clear out on the side of my mouth in the direction I wanted the rock to go, then I began to twist my head and finally my whole body in that direction. I heard the operator laugh. Then he shouted out, "Relax! Let the dozer do the work."

I believe if we listened hard we could almost hear the voice of God shout at us like that bulldozer operator, "Relax . . . let My power push away the obstacles."

I was concerned about a complex problem. It weighed heavily on my mind as I drove up route 93 from Boston to our New Hampshire headquarters. I was so disturbed by this matter that my whole being was keyed up like a violin string about to snap. Suddenly a car passed me and pulled into the lane right in front of my car. I was somewhat annoyed that this man would swerve so directly in my path. But then I looked down at his license tag and I laughed.

I'm sure the driver didn't know it, but God had sent him with an important message for me. His license plate was one of those with letters instead of numbers. And there, at the moment of my need, spelled out in clear letters on that license plate was God's will for me. It said RELAX!

A friend of mine was a pilot in World War II. He flew a cargo plane across the Himalayan Mountains. He told me about a narrow escape that occurred when an engine failed. They began to lose altitude at a rapid rate. They would certainly smash into a mountain peak if they couldn't get the plane higher. He gave orders to lighten the craft. The crew opened a hatch and began to throw out freight. Heavy boxes rained down upon the Himalayas, and slowly, ever so slowly, the airplane gained altitude and barely made it over the crags.

There is an example of this in the Bible (Acts 27). A ship was being tossed about in a storm. They "lightened the ship" by throwing certain cargo overboard (vs. 18). On the third day of this storm, they hurled more into the sea: "We cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship." The wind screamed and the waves roared. This went on for two weeks. Then they even abandoned their most precious cargo. "They lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea" (vs. 38).

Has your life ever seemed like a plane with a burned-out engine? Does it seem as though you are headed for a crash landing?

Have you ever felt like those men in that storm-tossed ship? You know what I mean, don't you? It seems as though the situations and circumstances of life have mounted up against you like an angry sea. Adversity seems like a mountainous wave about to smash down upon you, or drive you into the rocks!

You have a sense of impending disaster! You're just positive that something bad is going to happen . . . probably the very worst!

Someone says relax . . . but how can you relax when your life is about to crash? How can you be at ease when your ship is about to sink?

You're terribly tense! Your head aches. You reach often for the aspirin. Your stomach burns. You always carry a package of Rolaids or Tums. You get fatigued so easily; it seems as though you are always tired.

You pray, "Oh God! Help me . . . please tell me what to do!"

Well, listen! Here is God's answer, it comes right from the pages of Scripture: "Lay aside every weight"! (Heb. 12:1).

In other words, God is shouting to you, in your personal storm, "Lighten your ship!" "Get rid of the cargo that weighs you down!"

Go down inside, into that dark inner hold, and grab onto those useless things you have kept stored for years and throw them overboard!

If you are like most people, you are carrying a huge load of "Whatif's." They are a great burden. They will weigh you down and make you miserable and weary. They will make it impossible for you to relax. So a heavy cargo of "Whatif's" wears you out faster than God meant for you to wear out.

Lighten your ship! Heave the "Whatif's" into the sea! Say to them, "I will not carry you around any longer!"

My little girl wanted to go on a picnic. She kept asking me, but I said, "We can't go today." She cried. I told her, "Don't be sad, honey, we will be able to go on a picnic tomorrow." She stopped crying but I noticed later that she still looked downhearted. I said, "What's the matter, Faith? Why can't you cheer up? I told you we will go on a picnic tomorrow." She said, "Daddy, something makes me feel bad." I said, "What?" She stammered a bit, trying to express herself (she was only two and a half at the time) but she couldn't find the exact words. Finally, she said, "I guess it's a 'whatif'." I was puzzled. So I asked her again what was troubling her. And again she said, "A whatif." I shook my head and told her, "Honey, Daddy doesn't know what you're talking about." She said, "Oh you know, Daddy, I mean whatif it rains and we can't go?"

"What if we can't go on the picnic?" That's the cargo of worry that bogs down the heart of a child. What heavy freight are you carrying in the holds of your heart? Perhaps it's "What if I lose my job?" "What if I can't pay my bills." "What if inflation gets worse?" "What if war starts?" "What if my son gets into drugs?" "What if my husband doesn't love me any more?" "What if tomorrow brings trouble?"

"Whatif's" can make life utterly wretched! Cast them out! I told this to a troubled woman from Boston. She said, "I threw them out, Clinton, but somehow they got back on board again!"

Has that happened to you? You eject worries, but they don't stay ejected. They come right back to haunt your mind, cloud up your day and weigh you down. Is there anything you can do about it? Yes! You can take on a new cargo! You can fill the holds of your heart and mind with more pleasant freight.

How can this be done?

It couldn't be done at all except for what I am sure is the most unusual offer in the world.

Suppose a ship's captain brought his vessel into port with spoiled, rotted cargo. His holds are brimming full, but because he was becalmed, his cargo decayed and is now worthless. He is discouraged and ready to quit his profession. A voice hails him from the dock. "Can I come aboard Captain?" "What for, sir? There is nothing of value on this ship," cried the captain. "Oh, but there is," came the reply. "I want to swap your cargo for one of mine." Interested, the captain invited the man to come up the gangplank. When he was aboard the old seaman eyed the stranger suspiciously and asked, "What's your offer?" The man said, "I have a ship in the next dock loaded down with gold, silver and precious jewels. If you will give me your cargo of spoiled goods, I will give you my shipload of treasures."

The captain snarled angrily, "I don't have time for such nonsense. I am a brokenhearted man and you come on my ship to make cruel jokes. Away with ya right now!"

But the stranger said softly, "Please, dear sir. Accept my offer and you will see how serious I am."

"What's the catch?" asked the captain. "What do I have to do?"

"All you must do is empty your holds. Give me your spoiled goods so I can fill your ship with my treasures."

The captain scratched thoughtfully at his gray chin whiskers and said, "Aww, what have I got to lose? OK, mate, it's a deal!" And he shook hands with the stranger. The transaction was completed. Unbelievable as it seemed, the offer was genuine!

A myth you say? Ridiculous you say? No . . . on the contrary that story is a vivid illustration of a genuine offer that God makes men.

He sees our cargo of fears, worry, guilt and other useless baggage. He says, "Can I come aboard your life? I want to make you an offer."

Most of us are so skeptical we don't even let Him aboard. But a few listen. They hear the following proposition, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Mat. 11:28-30).

His "burden" (the cargo He wants to swap). Those who are "heavy laden" (our cargo).

The trade He wants to make is far more incredible than the illustration of the ship captain. Jesus offers wealth of eternal value and enrichment of daily life here on this earth.

We can unload our cargo of sin, rebelliousness, fear, shame, remorse, worry and hopelessness. In turn for this useless, rotten load of "spoiled fish," He offers to give His burden . . . the glorious cargo He carries in the holds of His magnificent nature. Peace! Hope! Joy! Faith! And an unspeakable love that creates security beyond man's most ardent wishes.

Real treasure!

Where on earth can you get a deal like that?

God offers to swap death itself for life eternal. Yet many people continue to clutch onto those decayed cargoes that weigh them down only because they are suspicious of God's offer. Men reason, "It's just too good to be true!"

However, there are some, like the ship's captain in the illustration who say, "All right, I accept the offer . . . what must I do?"

Unload fear! Throw it into the sea! Daily problems seen through the eyes of fear become invincible giants! Adverse circumstances seen viewed from the standpoint of fear become towering uncrossable mountains. Fear warps and distorts all truth. Fear is a terrible liar. This is why Jesus said, "Fear not!" To men who were caught in the jaws of sickness, He said, "Fear not!" To men beaten down into despondency because of sin and shame, He said, "Fear not!" To those facing great personal crisis, He shouted, "Fear not!" All divine deliverance begins with the throwing down of fear . . . because God's deliverance is a work of the power of truth and fear is a liar.

Jesus said, "The truth shall make you free"(John 8:32).

So cast out the liar fear and take on truth!

Truth concerning the nature of God. Truth concerning the ability of God. Truth concerning the promises of God . . . all revealed in the Word of God. Take it on! Fill up on it!

For instance when you are confronted by a rough, tough circumstance, fear says, "It's all over for you! This will finish you! This is an impossible situation, it will defeat you completely."

That's what fear tells you. But what does truth say? "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Mat.19:26). "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Mat. 17:20).

You see? Fear wants to make you shrink back. It wants you to give up. But truth calls you on! Truth encourages you! Have you ever seen the enormous crowd in a football stadium cheer their favorites on? With one voice fifty thousand fans shout, "You can do it, Joe!" The Bible says, "We are also compassed about with . . . a cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1). Men have gone on before and tested the power of truth: David, who stood before that giant, Moses before Pharaoh or the Red Sea . . . Elijah, Elisha, Peter, Paul . . . it's as if they stand watching you as you confront your giant, your Red Sea. Fear says, "You're finished!" But you can almost hear the voices of these witnesses, watching from their heavenly vantage point shouting, "Stand up to it! Fight it in the name of the Lord . . . you can do it!"

Truth calls you to strength and gives you reason for courage! Alone we have reason to fear. We are helpless against the real dangers of life. But with God one man becomes like a mighty fortress!

Fear says, "You are alone, so tremble and be dismayed." But truth says, "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" (Josh. 1:9). The Bible says that it is "impossible for God to lie" (Heb. 6:18), and God says, "I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Josh 1:5). "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" (Isa. 54:17). "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee" (Isa. 41:10).

THE BIG MOVE

Now we come to step number two in the process of "lightening your ship." You have thrown your useless cargo overboard. You have taken fear by the seat of the pants and hurled him into the waves. Now it's time for the big move. This is what causes most men to draw back. What will you do?

If the truth you have taken on is to do its powerful work in your life . . . you must make this next move!

Go back to the story of the ship in the storm. I want you to give careful attention to exactly what it was that those men threw overboard on the third day. Read it again, "We cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship" (Acts 27:19).

They gave up all means of control. When that tackle went over the rail into the sea, they had no means of guiding the ship. They were in the hands of God.

What about you? Have you thrown your "tackling" overboard? The Bible makes special mention of the fact that they did it with their "own hands." And if the guidance system of your life is to be surrendered in favor of God's guidance system, you will have to throw yours over . . . it will be done with your own will and choice. God won't take it from you.

What will it mean?

You have taken on a cargo of truth. If you throw the "tackle" and "rigging" of self-will overboard, it will mean that you will then be guided by the very cargo of truth you have stored in your holds.

If you don't surrender control, you can still have a cargo of truth, yet not benefit from it at all. For instance, suppose you face a troublesome time. A real wild storm blows up in your life. Your cargo of truth says, "Don't be afraid, it can't hurt you, for all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). But instead of letting this truth guide you into peace of mind, you grab the controls and frantically take over. All you manage to do is steer your craft into the perilous "Question Mark Bay." "Why is this happening? What have I done wrong?"

You have now sailed back to the place where fear can board your ship again with all its pirate crew.

Don't let that happen! Take that final step. Throw your controls overboard and then you can sit back and relax with a big smile on your face, because God is at the helm of your life. He is the Captain of your ship!

An old Gospel song states it simply, but it couldn't be said any better . . . "Trust and obey, for there's no other way."

Have absolute confidence in God's word. Rely upon it, and apply it in every situation all of your life. If everything you see, feel and hear says one thing, and God's word says just the opposite . . . believe His word, and demonstrate that faith by obedience!

Obedience is the life-blood of faith! Your ability to rest completely in His promises will increase in exact proportion to your obedience to His word.

If He is saying to you, "Lighten your ship," if you are in a storm and He is directing you to fling some things overboard (you know what they are), then begin now to practice obedience!