For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” Luke 8:17
Got any barnacles on your boat? It seems I am always learning something new and that is a good thing. I believe when you stop learning…well, you stop growing. If we just look around, we will soon discover that there is always more to learn. Someone said, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” I think that is spot on. I was recently at a leadership conference and one of the speakers used an illustration to teach a point and I learned something.
He told us that when you have a ship that is constantly in the water, it is very important to occasionally (about once a year) take it out of the water. That, by the way, is called putting it in dry dock. That seems logical but the thing I didn’t know and the thing that taught me a great lesson is this. Even with the ship moving, barnacles can and will grow on the bottom of the ship. Barnacles are small crustaceans (or sea creatures) that love to attach themselves to something in the water…like our ship.
Over time, these barnacles grow and multiply, grow and multiply, and grow and multiply. Well, before you know it, two things happen. First, those little fellas can add a ton of weight (pun intended) to the ship and that can drastically affect how the ship works. Second, as the bottom of the ship becomes less and less smooth, it takes more and more to push the ship through the water resulting in less and less profit.
The cure is simple. You must take the ship out of the water so what is hidden beneath can be exposed and removed. The result is higher efficiency and smoother sailing. Well, guess what? What is true about the bottom of ships is also true about the bottom or hidden things of our lives. You probably know that some ugly things can grow in the dark and you also probably know that some ugly things can grow in our lives. And I bet you probably know that if those things aren’t taken care of there can be some big consequences and more regrets. So, what is the solution?
Well, remember how the ship owners had to take the ship out of the water to get to the problem? Well, we must do the same. We must allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to get a good look at what is going on. Oh, and honestly, the only one we are hiding it from anyway is ourselves since God sees and knows everything. But this is one thing I know for sure. Every time I give God free access, every time I allow Him to remove the “barnacles” from my life—every time it is a win. I’ve learned that the best thing to do is to be sure and go into dry dock spiritually. That probably looks like some Jesus time every morning and some church time every week.
Does that take time? Sure does. But remember this. The ship owners are willing to take the ship out of service (meaning it is not making money) so that afterwards it can make more money. And the time we spend in dry dock with God always results in a better and more purposeful life. So go ahead…take the first step. Let God take a close look at your life…even the hidden things and don’t worry…He can take care of whatever He finds. He’s got this. Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 