A Daunting Departure

The lumber of the boardwalk, gray with age and wear, seems representative of the feet that now plod along them beneath me. Firm and clean when first hewn from their natural state, now battered and creaking with every step, oh the stories these boards could tell were they not mute! Before me lay a short path of timbers, sewn together by rusty hardware that seems unfit for the task. Beneath them are the silent enemies, the barnacles that slowly destroy this marriage of land and sea. It seems no matter where we walk, time, pressure and the elements turn like parasites against their host.

As gaze turns from the rooted to the horizon, the steps before me, though few, seem long. A shoreline of well-wishers and friends fill my ears with shouts of camaraderie and pleas to stay. Each syllable weighs on my every footstep, making progress seem daunting. How long the boardwalk seems when so precious are the ones we leave behind!

My lungs filled with the salty sea air of purpose and determination, I remain driven to make the walk toward the mission ship of exploration, bound for inestimable distances with unknown ports of call. Navigation left to the heavenly host, I trust only in the Holy Spirit to fill my sails and drive me to His will and purpose for my life. With such a skipper as the Lord Jesus Christ, how can I fear shipwreck or loss at sea?

Wish us well, darling comrades, and pray us onward to what lies ahead. May we always be joined together by mutual love for Christ and full submission to His Lordship. In Jesus’ name, Amen!