Want To Know What Your Boat Is? Your Fear Will ...  PRO

Want to know what your boat is? Your fear will tell you. Just ask yourself this: What is it that produces fear in me - especially when I think of leaving it behind and stepping out in faith?

For David, it is his vocation. He has been a builder for thirty-five years; he is in his late fifties now. But he has been gnawed his whole life by a sense that God was calling him into church ministry. He has quieted his conscience by giving away a lot of money and doing many good things, but he can’t shake off the haunting fear that he has missed his calling. And he’s afraid that perhaps it’s too late.

For Kathy, it is a relationship. She has been involved for years with a man whose commitment to her is ambivalent at best. He is sending her signals that everyone else can read clearly; he never initiates the language of affection, avoids talking about their future, and creates as much distance as possible. But she never pursues discovering his true feelings -- she’s too frightened. She doesn’t believe she could handle losing him. Her boat is pretty shaky. But she’s too scared to leave.

Ralph is the pastor of a church he neither fits nor loves. It is filled with division and petty squabbling. Rather than speaking prophetic truth or leading with clear vision, he finds himself constantly trying to placate angry attendees and keep the peace. He does not like the church; he resents and fears it. But it’s his boat. If he leaves it, it will only be to find himself in another just like it.

Doug’s boat is secrecy. He is addicted to pornography. It is a mild addiction, or so he tells himself, mostly adult movies on business trips and occasional sprees on the internet. Nothing that...

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