Daily Devotion:

Title: Making Headway

Date: November 17, 2012

They rented a tent at Maho Bay on Saint John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The tent had a wood floor, canvas roof, gas stove, electricity, small refrigerator, cold showers, and a view.

He talked her into renting a small boat. He was a sailor. She was not. They rented a Sunfish sailboat. It’s surfboard-sized with barely enough room for two people. Once aboard and underway, she was white-knuckled and he was ecstatic. They tacked out at a good clip. “Ready about,” he shouted. If he’d been astute, he’d have noticed the questioning look on her face. Instead, he said, “Coming about,” swung the tiller, ducked the swinging boom and watched her get swept overboard. He was remorseful. She was not cooled off by her unexpected dip.

It turns out she had no idea what “Ready about” means. It means, “Get ready to duck the boom, honey, ‘cause I’m going to turn the boat.” Neither did she understand that, “Coming about” means, “Duck now, we’re turning right now.” She didn’t know the lingo.  He didn’t know she didn’t know. It all equaled miscommunication, a bruised brow for her, and groveling from him.

For some people the lingo of faith is just as off-putting. Either they don’t understand it, or they did understand when they were younger and had a bad faith experience, and can’t stand it now.  

Let’s Pray:  Dear God, if churchy language gets in the way of some folks’ faith, please find other words or ways to reach them. We need You. Amen.

Here’s a Thought:  Don’t let religious language get in God’s way.