Article September 20, 1999 Issue

SAILING SOLO

Alissa J. Graunke

A few years ago while I was at a summer camp, I had the opportunity to learn to sail. The day came when I had to do a solo sail to pass a certain level, and I was terrified. I'd never sailed alone. I was scared of capsizing and not being able to right the boat, or even worse, "turtling"—capsizing when the mast points straight down underwater.

The day of my solo was cold, windy, and cloudy. The sailing counselor shared a few ideas with me on the beach, the most helpful of which was that God was steering the boat, so it wasn't up to me. God is all-powerful, and He wouldn't put me in a situation I couldn't handle.

I got into the boat and started to sail. The fear started to rise again. The things I'd learned went right out of my head, and I tacked farther and farther into the wind until I was going very fast. I reached out to God desperately, and started to slow down. I suddenly felt in control of the boat, and I knew my dominion came from God. I sailed for a little while longer.

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