This week the calamity that is unfolding on our coastline near Tauranga has been difficult to accept. The impending doom that looms over the beaches, the majestic coastline and of course the birds and fishes is maddening to say the least. The livelihood of so many people who depend on this area for tourism, food and recreation will be seriously affected and will be for a long time into the future. But not only those who live along the coastline will suffer loss, there will also be the loss incurred by the owners of the goods on board the ship, those who own the ship and also those responsible for this terrible tragedy. The captain will suffer fines, demotion and even face possible termination from his career over this accident. It seems as though nobody will win from all this except perhaps those who are contracted on to salvage this shipwreck.
The cry all week long has been “why hasn’t somebody done something?” over and over again and in various ways the anger and the sadness and the frustration has been pouring out. It is something that no one wants to see and yet at the same time no one can stop from watching. Time is not our friend in this case. It marches forward, hour after hour, as wave after stormy wave beats against the ship threatening to tear it to pieces. There are so many procedures, so many dangerous tasks, and difficulties involved in getting the oil off the ship as well as the containers from off the deck that it is slow and treacherous going. And all we can do is watch this drama play out to its completion. Very sad indeed!
However, shipwrecks out on the ocean can also act as an excellent metaphor for what can happen in people’s lives as well. We use the expression, “They shipwrecked their lives.” when we are describing someone who has gone off and done something naughty and got caught. “Shipwrecked” can be used to describe someone who has given into a vice like drunkenness or addictive gambling, lost their life’s saving, sometimes even their families and often their jobs. They have shipwrecked their lives.
The Bible also uses this metaphor to describe someone who does not hold fast to the faith and live it out with a clear conscience. In 1 Tim 1:19 Paul writes, “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” The apostle Paul was no stranger to being shipwrecked. It happened to him three times in his life and he even spent a night and a day out in the open seas before being rescued (2 Cor. 11:25). These frightening and awful experiences were not something that he would have taken lightly and so for him to use this metaphor is serious stuff. By not taking the teachings of our faith seriously, by living contrary to what we know to be true from God’s word, by ignoring our conscience or making excuses for our wayward behaviour, we put ourselves in a position to shipwreck our most precious faith. As you watch the drama of the shipwreck Rena unfold reminding us of the awfulness, the frightfulness, and the tragic loss that a shipwreck is, may it cause us to pause and consider our lives of faith. Is there another shipwreck on the horizon? I pray not!
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