Three Ways to Ensure Smooth Sailing in 2023

Has life seemed to drag?  Has 2022 got you struggling and feeling sluggish?  Are you ready to escape all those nagging things that are gumming up your journey?  Want to have a sleek 2023?  Me, too!

So let’s talk about… Barnacles.

Barnacles are a type of shellfish that (by secreting a liquid glue) attach themselves to things underwater.  You may have seen them on pier supports.  But you may not realize that they can also attach themselves to moving vessels, glomming themselves on to the bottom of boats moving through the ocean.  Over time, a seagoing vessel will need to have maintenance measures taken to remove these annoying hitchhikers, because the accumulation of these creatures on the underwater surfaces of the ship is injurious to the structure of the ship itself and also creates a drag that is slows down the performance of the craft.  Ships must periodically take time out to go have the barnacles physically scraped off their hulls.  Barnacle removal protects the hull from damage and allows the ship to move smoothly through the water.

Is something holding you back?

We’re just now exiting two stressful years of pandemic, war, civil unrest, mass shootings, hurricanes, and economic hardships.  Many of us are physically and emotionally struggling.  We feel the drag of heavy emotions. We are weary. 

In reflecting on these past 12 months, I came to the conclusion that I have some barnacles that I need to be rid of so that I can embark upon 2023 with a sleek hull, ready to sail.  It appears to me that there are three general types of barnacles that slow us down:

[1]  The Barnacle of Brokenheartedness

I recently learned that a member of my extended family had passed away due to complications from COVID -19.  This news came as I, myself, was slowly recovering from my own bout with the dangerous virus --- infected after two years of vaccines, boosters, masks, gloves, hand-sanitizers, etc.  Scary. The evening news is nothing but stories of calamities and evilness.  Businesses have closed, grocery stores lack products, and inflation and gas prices are high.  The barnacles of fear, anxiety, depression, weariness, and hopelessness have been swift to attach themselves to our minds.  The emotional drain of these parasites is causing us to feel brokenhearted.  Where is our happy world?  When is it going to get better?  WILL it get better? 

In truth, some folks might need to acknowledge that their barnacle infestation is so severe that they will need professional help to scrape it all off.  But others of us can perform the maintenance ourselves, patiently identifying and scraping off each negative thought pattern as it comes to our attention.  Examine your hull --- have harmful and draining emotions attached themselves to your mind? 

“ ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?’”  Jesus, in Matthew 6:25-27

Barnacles of constant worrying and fretting get attached in our minds and drag us down.  Jesus points out exactly how useless it is to worry, and He encourages us to have faith in our God who is taking care of us and intends good for us.  We must not allow negative and paralyzing emotions to cause sluggishness in our lives. Scrape off worry and hopelessness.

[2]  The Barnacle of Backlog

If you’re like I am, I have a running list of things I want ---yae, need--- to accomplish.  When I say “running”, I mean the list has been ongoing for years.  Years in which I have failed to accomplish most of the listed tasks.  Years in which I have added even more tasks, knowing the likelihood of completion is practically nil.  Add to this pressure a demanding job, a lengthy daily interstate commute, unfinished household chores / maintenance, my desire to be more active at church, a desire to engage in hobbies that interest me, a desire to have more time for Bible devotion and journaling ---- and you get someone who is ensnared with the Barnacle of Backlog.  Backlog that drags us down when we’re trying to move forward.

We are a society of self-proclaimed “multi-taskers.”  Over-scheduled, over-committed people who never accomplish most of what their desires and good intentions compel them to do.  A lot of little things are done half way, yet nothing is done well.  This practice of constantly striving yet never succeeding can bring about a damaged self-image. Frustration ensues.  Disenchantment. “What a loser I must be that I can’t get these things done.”  Continual failure is only assuaged by our succumbing to vices. We eat more. We turn to substances that we think will numb us. We lack restorative sleep. We become out of balance. Our health suffers. Not only have we failed in our self-imposed tasks, but now we’ve added more problems by giving in to temptations. We have no time to commune with God or to worship.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?   To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  Micah 6:8

These are the essentials as stated by God.  What are the non-essentials? Examine your lifestyle and scrape off any barnacles that are dragging you away from having a healthy and balanced life.  Purge your agendas and lists of things you feel you “must do” and create a lifestyle that honors God and promotes good stewardship of all He has blessed you with.

 [3]  The Barnacle of Baggage

Over the last two years we’ve all been stressed out and we’ve all  ---many times in close quarters --- had to deal with other stressed out people. It did not bring out our best. Things were said.  Things were NOT said.  Things were done.  Things were NOT done.  We got hurt.  We’ve been angry. And we may even be seething with anger from old, old wounds that have been festering. We exist every day with the roiling knowledge that someone has injured us. There is no way to make it unhappen.  And, unfortunately, life does not afford us an “undo” button except in Microsoft Word.

So what do I do when I look inside my heart and see a wound that someone else caused?  How do I escape the dismay, the aching, the deep, deep hurt?   How do I free myself from the Barnacle of Baggage?

I can forgive. 

Oh, this is Not Fun. Don’t wanna. I really want to hang on to the injustice of it all and be righteously indignant about how I’ve been treated.  But, truth be told, righteous indignation has not helped me heal, and continuing to engage in that thought pattern with the expectation of a different outcome is not logical.

There is good news, however. Being victimized doesn’t mean I have to forever identify myself as a victim. To illustrate, one day I was walking down a crowded city street when a pigeon pooped on my head. Poop…in my hair. It was stinky and gross and ruined my afternoon.  But I washed it off and carried on. Done and over.  Yes, there was a pooper and poop happened ... but I do not have to be forever known as a “poopee.”  I do not have to remain a victim. I can set that aside.  Instead, I should defiantly assert that I will not be defined by past circumstances.  That is not who I am. I reject victimhood and reclaim my identity when I recall that I’m a child of God and a recipient of His love, grace, mercy and favor. 

Forgiving doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt, that it didn’t wound.  Forgiving does not mean it didn’t happen or that I am excusing the actions of the perpetrator.  Forgiving is designed to benefit ME, not them.  It means that I am letting it go.  That I am no longer going to allow the offense(s) to have authority over my life or the power to make me sad.  I can’t control other people, only myself. The time of mourning is over.  I must Let It Go and give myself, that person, that situation, over to God who can deal with it all.  I don’t have to.  I can be done with it all.  I free myself because I am worthy of a different future. I won’t let the Barnacle of Baggage (offense or hurt) prevent my ship from moving onward. I Let It Go. Forgive.  As a gift to myself. And because God commands me to do so. 

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  Ephesians 4: 31-32

What happened to me was the design of an enemy who worked his evil plan through someone’s words or actions.  Remember, however, that people are not the enemy.  Satan is. His intent is to destroy. I forgive the person, but remain vigilant against my real enemy and give him no quarter.  So, yes, it hurt ---it hurt deeply. I’ve got the scars.  Things were lost.  But I won’t give the enemy any more room by harboring resentment and unforgiveness. Not one more day, not one more moment of sadness infiltrating my bright, shiny New Year.  I refuse to let past gunk contaminate my present or my future. I won’t give the enemy the satisfaction of clamping on and holding back or sinking my ship. I am a luxury yacht, baby; I’m sailing on.

So think about that smoldering anger that clouds your days and occupies valuable brain space. Evict it and open up that space to hold joy, instead of pain and sadness. Realize that your continued rumination on this topic is only dragging you down.  Scrape it off and be free and sleek again.

Be rid of your Barnacles

Ship owners are warned not to let barnacles dry on the hull of their vessels.  According to the website boats.net,  “if barnacles are allowed to dry out, their bond to the hull becomes much stronger and it makes them much harder to remove.”  So, to prevent them drying, you don’t lift the boat out of the water until you’re ready to deal with the barnacles.

Don’t let your barnacles get dried out and remain permanently attached to your hull.  Make it a priority to get rid of them.  Make time for this essential maintenance.

As you contemplate your bright, shiny New Year of 2023, take some time to examine the hull of your life and identify the barnacles that need scraping off. Make sure you have adequate time for reflection, prayer, and action.  Take the time to patiently scrape each one totally off. Be sleek and healthy. You are worth it.

“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”  Jeremiah 29:11