I believe that most pirates have a love of science fiction in addition to our love of pirate lore. I get a thrill from the words "to seek out...to explore ...to boldly go where no one has gone before." Yet if I were honest with myself, I would cower from the opportunity to actually visit an undiscovered country.
I find comfort in map lines or paths that have already been explored at least once before me. It's less dangerous, less risky and a little more comfortable. Someone has been before me! The comfort we find in our man-made maps. God did not put lines on the earth or in the ocean marking territory or naming the routes-man did. God marked the earth with the hills, mountains, forests, plains and water and He made it ebb and flow into each other. His way is beautiful when you actually notice how everything He made (and still makes) segues into each other and works together.
I am not only guilty of finding comfort in man-made maps lines, but I have even put up map lines in my life. My life until recently resembled a child's picnic plate. Everything had its own compartment so that nothing touched anything else. Nothing could blend into something else without my controlling that action. Then Our Beloved First Mate, Our Blessed Lady, started to tug at my boundaries. She is very gentle but very intentional and persistent. She gently started pulling at the map lines and things started flowing one into the other. My plate in my childish view was starting to get messy. I am beginning to realize that I was not allowing her son, Our Beloved Captain, to work in all the sections of my life. He could be in certain sections but his work and his grace would just not do in other sections. It is not enough that the First Mate is pulling at the map lines she is gently rolling them up so that they can not be put back down again! I am beginning to see that when the Captain has full access to the ship everything has his hand in it. He has actually had His hand in it from the beginning I am just now aware of how He has always been present even in those sections that I thought I had closed off to Him.
I have a feeling that now that I am aware of the access that has been given to the Captain and First Mate that I am to change my attitude about my messy plate. It will be interesting to journey over territory that I have been through before-now that I have no map lines for comfort. I actually have something of more value and comfort...the guidance of The Captain and Our Beloved First Mate.
