Pump It Up! Live Elated, Not Deflated Through Disappointing DaysSample

Sea legs

Believe it or not, there will come a time when you will leave your dinghy and transition to another boat. It may, as in my case, be a speedboat for a time, or maybe even a couple of weeks on board a cruise ship, or perhaps even a battleship. I want to focus now on the theme of transition from the dinghy days, and how to sail the next vessel you climb aboard as well as possible. One major thing we need to work on for these times is making sure we have strong sea legs to cope well with times of transition.

Having strong sea legs means that you are able to walk calmly and steadily on a boat that is being tossed around in rough seas. Having strong sea legs means you possess power-filled pins that give you the ability to stand with feet firmly planted, adapting well to new and strange situations or conditions that are unexpected and unfamiliar. Strong sea legs mean you don’t experience jelly legs and get wiped out when trouble comes; your calf muscles are impressively well-formed, enabling you to stand resiliently in the face of adversity. You aren’t cowering in your cabin; you are excited and expectant, ready to embrace whatever lies ahead.

Times of transition are very testing. How do you hold up under a new and challenging situation? Have you found and developed the strength in your sea legs? New situations are generally pretty challenging for us all. Some people do thrive on the new and the different, but I think the majority of us enjoy being in familiar situations where we feel in control and our legs are firmly planted in familiar territory. I really believe developing spiritually strong ‘sea legs’ is a vital skill to thrive in our Christian lives. However, being able to navigate new and unfamiliar terrain with peace, calmness, confidence, strength, and hope is not an easy feat for our feet!

Things that helped me develop my spiritual sea legs were asking for support from others, learning to encourage myself in the Lord, and continuing to battle those pirates and the temptation to compare myself - it turns out that these trials do not just pertain to dinghy days.

Reflection

How would you rate the strength of your spiritual sea legs?

If your muscles need developing, what can you do to strengthen them and to cope with times of transition more confidently?