Steady As You Go

In January 2015, a carrier ship called the Hoegh Osaka departed from a British port transporting cars and trucks to a Middle Eastern port. Suffering from a drastic imbalance, the vessel eventually tilted starboard, lost its propelling and steering capabilities, and ran aground, breaching the hull and flooding the ship. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) carefully studied the accident and summarized their conclusions in their March 2016 Safety Flyer. The branch condensed its findings into the following “Safety Lessons:”

Assessing a ship has adequate stability for its intended voyage . . . before it sails is a fundamental principle of seamanship that must not be neglected.

A loading computer is an effective and useful tool for the safe running of a ship. However, its output can only be as accurate as the information entered into it.

The master has ultimate responsibility for the safety of his/her ship. This responsibility cannot be delegated to shore-based managers or charterers’ representatives.

Although intended to aid other marine crews in avoiding a similar fate, these lessons are applicable to Christians, too. Quite simply, the shipwreck was caused by instability, overconfidence, and a failure to take responsibility — errors that we, as Christians, can be susceptible to spiritually.

Stability

Assessing our spiritual stability is critical. Jesus warned that trouble in this world is certain (John 16:33). When we are anchored in Christ, what threatens to critically capsize becomes just temporary turbulence, but if our vessel is unstable, we risk sinking. James cautions us in this regard, telling us in his epistle that “a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind… they are unstable in everything they do” (James 1:6-8, NLT). Split devotion makes us unsteady and jeopardizes our voyage through life’s waters.

For the Hoegh Osaka, some basic stability assessments might’ve prevented its demise. Similarly, routine self-checks can help us avoid spiritual shipwrecks. The early church demonstrated this truth, meeting to commune every first day of the week and setting a pattern for all believers. Communion is our weekly opportunity to remember Christ’s sacrifice but also to conduct an introspective examination. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul instructs, “Look closely at yourselves. Test yourselves to see if you are living in the faith” (ICB). Even more frequently, though, we can ask God to gauge our steadfastness, just like David: “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.” — Psalm 26:2 (NKJV). Examining ourselves and inviting God to show us how we’re out of step with His will keeps us stable and steady in a stormy sea.

Overconfidence

Just as vital as our spiritual stability is our need to humbly trust in God alone. The crew of the Hoegh erred in arrogantly trusting in their technology, which contributed to the ship’s fate. We can trust the Lord completely to help us navigate the waves of the world. However, if we allow our trust in Him to gradually — and sinfully — morph into overconfidence in ourselves, we’re in dangerous waters. Irish poet, Oscar Wilde, once said, “Confidence is good, but overconfidence always sinks the ship.”

In the book of Joshua, that brand of overconfidence led to an embarrassing defeat for Israel. The spies sent by Joshua to scout out the enemy town of Ai reported back: “You don’t need to send the whole army to attack Ai – 2,000 or 3,000 troops will be enough. Why bother the whole army for a town that small” (Joshua 7:3, CEV)? Still thrilled from the victory God had given them over Jericho, the people dangerously began thinking that they defeated the walled city by their own might. Immediately after the spies’ arrogant conclusion, we read that “Joshua sent about 3,000 soldiers . . . But the men of Ai fought back and chased the Israelite soldiers away from the town gate…” (Joshua 7:4-5).

Moving from trust in the Lord to overreliance on self resulted in a tail-between-the-legs loss for the Israelites. The same could happen to us. Paul warns, “Don’t be so naïve and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13, MSG). When overconfidence in self supplants trust in God, remember: Our system is only as good as what we put into it. Jesus taught that “what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart” (Matthew 15:18). Our output (words, thoughts, and actions) are only as right and pure as the information we allow to enter our heart.

The Hoegh’s crew relied in vain on a computer system to avoid disaster, but bad input left them vulnerable to catastrophe. Relying on our own righteousness makes us just as vulnerable. We must trust in God while carefully monitoring what’s placed into our spiritual system, like David resolved, “I’m trying my best to walk in integrity… I refuse to gaze on that which is vulgar. I despise… anything that moves my heart away from you” (Psalm 101:2-3, TPT).

Responsibility

Taking responsibility for our spiritual condition is equally crucial to our Christian voyage. A representative of Hoegh Autoliners, owner of the wrecked vessel, shied away from assigning blame for the incident, stating, “There were a number of circumstances here. We cannot put responsibility on one individual or group.” In an entitled, narcissistic world, few things are “my fault.” This thinking is pervasive even among Christians. We’re never to blame for our poor decisions, negative consequences, or bad habits. The refusal to accept responsibility means our sin goes unacknowledged and unrepented of and all but guarantees spiritual shipwreck.

An attitude of accountability is essential to our growth in Christ. Post-wreck, the Hoegh, underwent repairs and eventually returned to carry cargo again, which required owning up to and correcting the errors of the failed trip to keep the ship afloat on the next voyage. Proverbs repeatedly confirms that we must do that, too. “To accept correction is wise, to reject it is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1, CEV). “You only hurt yourself by rejecting instruction, but it makes good sense to accept it” (Proverbs 15:32, CEV). Admitting fault is rarely easy, but the difficult, often painful humbling of ourselves gives way to good things, namely forgiveness and freedom. It puts us back on the path of right-living and restores the relationship God desires to have with us. The Lord Himself said so, as John recorded His words in Revelation: “I warn and correct those I love. So be sincere, and turn away from your sins” (3:19, NIrV).

Even a landlubber can learn some valuable lessons from the Hoegh Osaka. The British carrier ship met with calamity simply because those on board failed to assess its stability, were overconfident, and refused to take responsibility. When we apply these lessons to our spiritual life, we can joyfully chart our course with the One who created the waters, calmed the seas, and promises to anchor us through the same.