I have a small yacht named Delusions of Grandeur. One of the first times I ventured out with my three sons on to Sydney Harbour after I purchased the yacht became what can only be described as a grand adventure. We left the mooring at the Spit Bridge and were motoring towards Sydney Heads. The motor lost all power and the boat wouldn’t respond. No. 3 Son David saw smoke coming out of the back cabin and yelled; “We are on fire, we are on fire! WE ARE ON FIRE.” No. 2 Son Matthew looked for a life jacket, No. 1 Son Robert reached for the fire extinguishers and I shouted; “Don’t you set that extinguisher off unless you can see flames.” Our 1kg extinguisher only lasts about twenty to thirty seconds so you just can’t waste it by not using it on the seat of the fire.
I stopped the motor and I discovered that a jubilee clip on the exhaust system had come undone and the rear cabin had filled with exhaust gases. All that was needed was to let the exhaust gas dissipate, reconnect the exhaust system and try to stop resembling the Keystone Cops or the cast of Dad’s Army. “Don’t Panic, I’m the Skipper of this ship wreck if there is any panicking to do I will do it.”
I hope no one was looking from the balcony of Middle Harbour Yacht Club. I’m probably black listed. No matter I can’t afford the membership anyway and I did learn an important lesson. Just because there is smoke it doesn’t mean there is fire.
This is a good lesson to remember in life because too often people jump to conclusions which can trigger bigger problems than they ever expected for themselves and others. People often listen to rumours and mutter “Where there is smoke there is fire.” This often precedes a change of behaviour towards the person the rumour is about – even when there is no fire. Be careful you can end up looking as silly me on a ship of fools. It is better to stop, look and see if there is a real fire and determine whether or not real help is needed.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:37-3
eChap’s Prayer for Today.
Lord God, sometimes I feel like I am standing to attention on a ship of fools. Caught out by my unpreparedness I react in unhelpful ways. Too keen to have my say I neglect to listen. Desperate to avoid trouble for myself I drop others in it. When I find myself in times of trouble help me to locate the real source of the problem and deal with it even if it is in me. Amen.
Attributions:
- Photo original SR Estherby
- Photo Middle Harbour (User: Bgabel at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This is a really helpful perspective, thank you.