Today we did two long pieces, under the freeway bridges, in preparation for head race season.
Chelsea is our coxswain. Chelsea is 14 years old. Chelsea has to manoeuver a sixty foot long boat through a series of very narrow bridges using a rudder the size of a small sandwich (I can always find a good food analogy!) and eight rowers. Chelsea is a very good coxswain.
As for the rowers, our job in this situation (other than move that boat as effectively as we can) is to trust Chelsea. We cannot turn around to look, we cannot hesitate, we must turn ourselves over to Chelsea and trust her. We go through the bridges blind. Even when we are trying to overtake the other boat. Even when she says "paddle" then "let's pick it up" then "paddle" again. We are in her hands, she directs us. Without her, we cannot proceed.
In a like way, union with the divine demands that we surrender our egos and our desire to control and trust completely. Blindly. Boldly. With confidence. This is what we do when we sit in silence, in contemplative prayer. And amazing graces occur.
My favorite rowing T shirt these days says "God didn't have time to be everywhere. So She created coxswains."
4 comments:
Thanks for visiting my blog -- i'm happy to find yours as I've always been fascinated by rowers!
Well, now you've got at least two readers!
Is that shirt avaliable in neon orange?
Thank you, pink shoes, I've only just found the world of women-in-ministry blogs. Rowers are, well, nothing if not obsessed by our sport! ;)
And Polly, the shirt is only in tasteful gymbag grey. Sorry!
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