Where Are We Headed?

17-year old Australian, Jessica Watson sailed her pink yacht, Ella's Pink Lady into the Sydney Harbor on Saturday after seven months at sea. Today is her birthday. She became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop around the world!

Imagine your 16-year old taking off by herself for a 210-day journey through rugged waters, extreme temperatures and the unknown challenges of the seas? Imagine yourself doing it. I can't.

The courage, fortitude, tenacity, commitment and vision this journey took is the same kind that drove the likes of Charles Lindbergh and Ameilia Earhart.

Thousands of people waving signs and cheering gathered at the shore to welcome home a national hero. Among those waiting were her parents and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who said, “Jess, welcome back to dry land, welcome back home to Australia. You may feel a little wobbly on your feet just now but in the eyes of all Australians you now stand tall as our newest Australian hero. At 16 years old, you are a hero for all young Australians, you are also a hero for all young Australian women, you do our nation proud. This is a great day for our country.”

But listen to her reply on being a hero:

I don’t consider myself a hero, I’m an ordinary girl,” she said.

“You don’t have to be someone special to achieve something amazing, you’ve just got to have a dream, believe in it and work hard. I’d like to think I’ve proved that anything really is possible if you set your mind to it.

“People don’t realise what young people, and what young girls are capable of, and it’s amazing when you take away those expectations what you can achieve.”

Sailors need a compass, charts and navigation equipment, without them they can drift aimlessly at sea. Direction starts with a vision. Jessica was able to navigate some of the roughest seas in the world because she had a vision of sailing around the world. I would love to meet this incredible teen and spend a few hours talking to her about the voyage, what pushed her, how she prepared and her biggest challenges.

Where are you headed? Are you wandering aimlessly at sea going wherever the waves of life take you? Do you have a compass? All of us are on a journey, but many never arrive at their intended destination because of apathy, lack of preparation, misguided advice and direction, and poor choices. Christ-followers have a huge advantage on this journey. We have the ultimate navigational tool, God's Word. We are led and guided by the Spirit of God. We have a sense of peace and the confident hope in Christ when the waters get choppy. Prayer keeps us in constant communication with the Creator of the very seas that bring challenge, fear, and uncertainty. And though we may stray off course from time to time because of stubborn human will, we know how to get back on track. The old Psalm and popular praise song of days long go says it best:

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet.
And a light unto my path.