A friend had taken me out in his 23 foot sailboat a couple years before and that was the extent of my previous sailing experience. I have to admit, there was some fear rattling around in my brain as I tried to remember what I had read but the excitement of the adventure spurred me on. The wind was moderate and I pulled the lines on the jib (the small sail in the front of the boat) until the sail filled tightly with air and I began sailing. I thought that once I was comfortable sailing with just the jib I could give the main (the big sail in the middle of the boat) a try.

I wasn't doing too badly until I ran out of lake. I was, of course, only sailing down wind because upwind required more skill than I had acquired after 15 minutes of sailing by myself. At this point I didn't have any choice. I had to work on my up-wind technique or I'd have to camp out on the down-wind side of the lake.

Afterwards the whole experience made me think about my life, where it was going and where I had been. As a young man I filled up my inflatable raft, pushed off from shore and let the wind take me where it wanted. Some places weren't that bad. Some places I'd like to forget. At any rate, I could have spared myself some grief by having a plan in place for where I wanted to go and how I was going to get there. Looking out across that lake, I could imagine so many others doing the same thing I was doing. Not having goals or a plan for life. Just drifting with the wind thinking it was OK because “everyone else was doing it this way.”

But everyone else wasn't doing it that way. Way over on the other side of the lake was a pretty cool looking camp ground. I could hear the people enjoying themselves on that side of the lake and I could see that some had the same raft that I had. I can remember thinking, I wish the wind would change directions and blow me over there. But it never did. It didn't occur to me until later in life that I could get there even if the wind wasn't cooperating. I had to stop thinking that drifting with the wind was normal.

I started to realize that getting the maximum amount of joy and fulfillment in life wasn't going to “just happen”. I needed to have a plan and goals. Small steps to get me closer to where I wanted to be. I also realized that getting there by myself wasn't going to be fulfilling enough. I need to make sure I helped others see this too. Others needed to here me call out “it's hard work, but it is so worth it.” And I needed to really listen to others who were in places I wanted to be. I needed to put my “I don't need anyone else's advice” pride away and soak in the suggestions of successful people. People who were on those sought after shores or people who were navigating their boats anywhere they wanted to go.

One last thing I realized as I was gazing across the water. All boats are not created equal. Some are more conducive to getting you places the wind doesn't want you to go and some are just better equipped. Life hands us a bare bones, no frills raft that will at least float and get pushed where ever the wind wants it to go. We choose how to equip it or what to trade up to. Equipping our rubber raft with oars will help you get where you want the boat to go but it will take a lot of back breaking work. A sailboat without any sails might glide though the water easier than a rubber raft but it would be a lot easier with the sails to catch the wind.

Our lives are made with physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Equipping and caring for each of these areas in our lives helps us to be balanced and well rounded; able to take on any wind the world will throw at us with joy and excitement; able to help others along the way. Neglecting any of these needs would be like rowing a rubber raft with one oar or paddling a sailboat with no sail. We may get to different places but we'll be worn out and we won't get to all the exciting places a loving God wants us to go.

The first thing we need to do is really believe that God loves us and wants good things for us. Things that are outrageously exciting, exhilarating and extremely satisfying. The second thing we need to do is challenge the traditional meaning of “Trust in the the Lord.” We shouldn't think that this means we should push our raft out into the lake and trust that the Lord will cause the wind to blow us where he wants us. Certainly if he really wants us someplace, we're going there one way or another. But I believe that when God tells me he wants to do something with my life that He will help me accomplish it. When He gives me a dream or a passion for something he'll give me the strength, determination and drive to move out in that direction. If it's not something I know how to do, he'll want me to gather the knowledge I need. That's part of equipping the boat for my life's journey. He wants me do discover who He made me to be.

That's why having a plan for my life is so important. It's not a perfect plan because it's a work in progress. I fully expect God to change my heart along the way and I'm sure I'll tip my boat over a few more times before I make it to my final destination. But I'm enjoying figuring out how to live the life I was meant to live.

[This article originally appeared in EXPERIENCE magazine. Winter of 2008 / Issue One / By experiencethehighlife.com]

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