Changing Course

I heard a great story the other day and I thought I’d share it with you. There was a ship that was sailing on a very dark night. Suddenly, the captain noticed a bright light directly in front of him, and he thought for sure that his ship was going to collide with another ship.

He rushed to the radio and sent an urgent message, demanding that the other vessel change its course ten degrees west. A few seconds later, he got a reply. “Cannot do it. Change your course ten degrees east.”

The captain was furious. He sent another message: “This is a United States Navy vessel, and I’m the captain. I demand you change your course immediately.”

Another reply came instantly: “I’m a seaman second class. Cannot do it. You have to change your course.”

The captain was now in a rage. His next message read: “This is a battleship, and I’m not changing my course.”

The seaman second class responded: “This is a lighthouse. You make the call, sir.”

How often are we like that captain; we are stuck thinking that we are always right. We can think of all the reasons why we’re not going to change and in our stubbornness fail to realize that there might be another side to the story.

Maybe we are bitter over the failings of others. It could be that we’ve been badly hurt and can’t find it in our heart to forgive. Maybe we have a hard time forgiving ourselves.

Like the captain, sometimes we’re called to change our course. The lighthouse cannot move. It has to be us that moves. When you hold on to unforgiveness, you are headed for trouble. You have set yourself on a destructive path that can have serious consequences. Maybe God is asking you to change your course.

If you want to be the person God is calling you to be, you have to be willing to make changes. Pray about it. Ask Him to show you the way. If you are holding on to hurt and anger, seek good counsel to help you deal with it. Don’t be afraid to change course. God might take you to places you would have never dreamed possible.