The sailboat

Whenever the Helser household suffered an economic setback, I would sigh, “Well, there went my sailboat.”

On my daughter, Dustie’s, wedding day, she surprised me with a gift.  A blue, toy sailboat.  Leaving the church for her honeymoon, she blew me a kiss and boasted, “You got me married and you got your sailboat too!”

When I was a child, a wise old sea captain gave me my first sailing lesson.  After acquainting me with all the basics, I set the rudder and hoisted the mainsail, but we went nowhere.  Because I couldn’t see what was below the surface of the craft, I forgot to lower the centerboard.  The keel.  The instant it went down, the boat began to fly with the wind and I became a sailor for life.

Today, the little sailboat sits in a special place in my studio, a reminder of the love of my family, and the love of my Captain, Jesus–– who instructs me that real life is lived below the surface, in the Spirit... from the heart.   –– Ken Helser

“Guard the heart with all diligence, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Proverbs 4:23