Rocking the boat can be a good thing…

I believe all of us will one day come to our Jesus moment. All of us will have an inflection point; when we cannot get away from the “why” we have made certain decisions or about to make certain decisions. We will come to that point and hopefully make the right choice. Yes, when we refuse to repeat our parents mistakes; when we refuse to do things just because our friends are doing it – without asking, “is this right for me and God”? I have come to believe that when I refuse circumstances or limitations, or my surroundings to determine my actions or perceptions of myself and others – I am doing well.

I remember the movie “Guess who is coming to dinner?” with actors Sydney Portier and Spencer Tracy. Sydney Portier had fallen in love with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn’ daughter. Two young people had fallen in love. They were happy. They knew what they wanted and were going for it. So what was the problem? Well it was not so easy. Society was the problem. Blacks and white could not marry each other, even if they fell in love. The burden of society was just so great, and the parents of the to-be bride and groom knew it. They knew if their children went ahead they would be targets for bigots all their lives. They were genuinely afraid for their children. They wanted them to keep their heads down, marry their like, stay in their lane and not rock the boat. Yes, do not rock the boat, so it does now capsize. Not Sydney Portier’ character however. He said to his father, “you see yourself as a black man, I see myself as a man.” He then asked his father to get the weight of his (the father) limitation off his back. Portier’ character knew he had no choice; the lovers knew they would have to rock the boat till it capsized; they knew they would have to exert the pressure of change, else they would be forever imprisoned by an unfortunate norm.

Another such mind shift happened to Robert Samson, a bookseller in New Hampshire whose 102 year old bookstore, Petersfield bookstore, did not make a sale for an entire day. Now, that is something, incurring those running costs with no sale! He got a mind shift and tweeted about his plight. That point of inflection and reaching to change the situation – evolved to a tweet. Since then he has been overwhelmed with sales. Who says we have to accept the norm, whatever that might be. If it does not align with what God is saying to you, it has to go! It really takes a mind shift to rock the boat; it takes desire and passion; it takes energy; it takes a connect of your will and a petition to the Father for help. It takes you being prepared to swim when the boat eventually capsizes! This cannot be achieved by just a “want”, you have to have a burning desire.

I ponder on what not having the will for change does; it makes us lesser than we are meant to be.
The woman with the issue of blood had passion and she rocked the boat. So did Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus was a blind man in Mark 10 who sat by the roadside. He had nothing going for him, but he had heard about Jesus. He had heard he could heal his blindness. He had developed both a desire to see and an appetite to reach for more. And so by chance our King Jesus walked by on this fateful day. Bartimaeus had enough appetite and desire to rock the boat. Many around him rebuked him and instructed him to stay silent, but the desire was too great. Bartimaeus had a mind shift; he was going to rock the boat and so he shouted the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity and mercy on me!” The Bible says Jesus stopped and asked them to call him. They indeed called Bartimaeus, telling him to have “ courage” and get up. These words are instructive and empowering. You will do well to be courageous for what you want out of life; be courageous and get up.

Jesus asked him. “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus answered, “Master, let me receive my sight.” Jesus replied, “Go your way, your faith has healed you”. Wow! What a great victory when we refuse to settle for status quo! We need a mind shift today; we cannot continue to do what pleases society, pleases our friends, pleases others just to stay within the boundaries of normalcy. What is it that you want out of life? What do you want God to do for you? Is it impossible and difficult? Well, then pray with desire; pray with passion; don’t keep quiet; don’t listen to the naysayers; get God involved in your impossible plight; get God to pour a river in your desert; rock the boat! Go for it. Let impossible things be done! Amen!

Linda Faith
Linda is a prolific writer. Her body of work includes inspiring poems, fictional books, and Christian living empowering books. You can find her work on www.amazon.com. Linda is also the pioneer of Joy Women, a platform she employs to inspire women all over the world to be all God has destined them to be. Read more about Linda at www.lindafaith.org.