Staying on Course When Everything Goes Wrong Lessons from a Chaotic Sailing Night
0Top o' the Mornin' to Ya!
TLDR: A fumble filled sailing race on Lake Superior teaches us that when life throws multiple challenges at once, the key is to keep pointing toward your destination while systematically cleaning up what needs fixing. Just like seeking God's Kingdom first, we stay aimed in the right direction and handle problems one at a time until momentum returns.
What?
Last night we took the boat out for a race on Lake Superior, and honestly, it was a disaster from start to finish. We accidentally dropped sails we didn't mean to - twice. Couldn't get the spinnaker down fast enough. Ropes got tangled through the blocks. I broke my GoPro camera mount. We were 20 seconds late to the start line, which was actually better than usual. Had my wife out for her first race this year, plus another first-timer, and everything that could go wrong seemed to pile on at once.
Halfway through this mess, I found myself having to give direct instructions to stop what they were doing and focus on one specific thing - like getting that sail down so we could turn around the mark. The crew was doing the right things, just not in the right order or fast enough because we had too much chaos happening at once.
Why?
I'm sharing this sailing disaster because it perfectly captures what happens in our leadership and life when multiple things go sideways simultaneously. As Kingdom Family Leaders, we face seasons where it feels like we're getting cluster bombed from every direction - business challenges, family pressures, spiritual dryness, health issues, relationship tensions. The natural response is to panic, get distracted, or abandon our course entirely.
But there's a better way to navigate these storms, and it comes from understanding a fundamental principle about staying focused on our true destination even when everything around us is falling apart.
Lesson
When chaos hits and multiple systems are failing, the key is to keep pointing toward your destination while systematically addressing what needs fixing. In sailing terms, when the sails aren't tight and things aren't working, you don't abandon your course - you aim in the right direction and clean up the problems one by one.
This applies directly to seeking first the Kingdom of God. When life gets messy, we keep seeking that first. We maintain our spiritual heading while we untangle this line, adjust that sail, and fix what's broken. As we clean up each issue systematically, the boat speeds up, life gains momentum, and challenges start resolving.
Sometimes there's no wind at all - those seasons when nothing seems to be moving forward. In those moments, we point the boat straight toward our destination, keep everything still and steady, and wait for that first breath of wind on our neck. We stay positioned and ready to catch momentum when it comes.
The principle is simple: maintain your true heading while addressing the immediate problems that are preventing you from getting there.
Apply
Think about a current situation where you're facing multiple challenges at once - whether in your marriage, business, parenting, or spiritual life. Write down your true destination (what you're ultimately trying to achieve or where God is calling you). Then list the 2-3 most immediate problems that need fixing to get you moving in that direction again.
Instead of getting overwhelmed by everything at once, pick one problem and take action on it today while keeping your eyes fixed on your ultimate destination. Trust that as you clean up one thing at a time while staying aimed toward God's purposes, momentum will return.
You be blessed!
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Ready to break out of the chaos and find clarity in your leadership? Let's have a conversation about getting your boat pointed in the right direction: https://brian.chat/
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