They say it happens to
everyone at least once in their lifetime of owning a boat… That time when you
think that you have checked everything and have this confidence that nothing is
left to do. You take one last look from stem to stern and come to the conclusion
that the time is “now” to launch your boat. So you back it into the water and
fire up the outboard (or inboard for the more sophisticated owners) and give
the signal for the driver to take the trailer out of the water and find a spot
to park.
Some years ago when our
oldest had just graduated high school he wanted to take a senior trip and go
fishing. We were on Bull Shoals Lake and the scenario above was exactly the way
we prepared to go fishing. Everything looked good so I waived at Jeremy to park
the truck and trailer and told him we would meet him over at the marina next to
the launch ramp. As Tina and I putted out thru the “No wake zone” thru the
rental slips I began to notice that the back of the boat was beginning to tread
deeper and deeper in the water… Well you guessed it, the boat was filling up
with water. Someone forgot the plug?!?!?! I turned the boat around and did not
pay attention to the no wake signs and beat it to the loading ramp.
When we got to the bank I
bailed out of the boat and stuck my finger in the hole until I could get the
plug at the end of the chain and put it into the hole. At this point Jeremy
looked at me from a distance and asked what was going on. I told him to get the
truck and put the trailer back into the water. I looked over to the right to
see a man on a party barge with a huge smile on his face and only said 5 words…
“Left the plug out didya?” He then said, “don’t worry if happens to all of us
at least once!” I believe it took at least 20 minutes for that boat to empty of
all the water as Tina looked on in horror… (She can’t swim)
Another situation comes to
mind of when my brother and uncle were fishing and a rain storm came up. It was
raining so hard that no matter how fast the drove to the marina the boat steadily
filled up with water. As my uncle drove my brother bailed water with a bucket.
The boat sunk at the dock in the rain.
There are a lot of incidences
in our lives where the boat seems to be sinking. No matter how hard we try we
can’t bail the water out fast enough. Things happen that we just can’t get
control of. When the disciples put out on to the sea and a storm came up they
began to panic and they noticed that Jesus was still asleep. They woke Him and
said, “Lord save us! We are perishing”! So what did the Savior say? Matthew
8: 26-27 “why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then
He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27) So
the men marveled, saying, “Who this can be, that even the winds and the sea
obey Him?”
So as life puts you in what seems like a sinking boat, remember that if Christ is in your boat it won’t sink…
“The Greatest Adventure
in Life is seen Through the Love of Christ”
Bro John 501-262-0015
