Moving On from Sunken Ships
Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/green-and-white-boat-on-beach-during-daytime-4NFfhL0MSOQ
Sometimes the reason we fail isn’t because our ship has sunk; it’s because we spend too much time lamenting over the wreckage.
I’ve been reading “In the Heart of the Sea”, a true account of the Essex—a whaling ship destroyed by an enraged whale. The crew was left with their beloved ship reduced to splinters, and their hopes for survival even thinner. For some time, they lingered by the wreckage, watching the remnants barely peeking out of the water. Eventually, they made the difficult decision to leave the sunken ship behind and attempt survival in smaller boats.
What struck me most was how their spirits changed once they turned away from the wreckage and began moving forward. Morale improved the moment they stopped focusing on what was lost and started focusing on the journey ahead.
What a powerful analogy for the Christian life! In Christ, we’ve been given a new beginning. But how often do we find ourselves obsessing over and clinging to the past? Maybe we loved our old life. Maybe we hated it but can’t stop analyzing it. Either way, it’s all too easy to fixate on the wreckage of our past instead of moving forward. The Apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians:
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead.” (Philippians 3:13)
There is so much to gain by focusing on the future instead of spending our energy dissecting past mistakes or tragedies. Yes, we should learn from our past—In fact, in much of my work you will find that I strongly encourage it. But there’s a fine line between using the past as motivation to grow, and becoming paralyzed by it.
As someone who lives daily with OCD, I understand how easily we can spiral into analyzing every detail of our sunken ships. What could I have done differently? Is any of the wreckage salvageable? Who is to blame? We might even idolize the past, feeling sorrow that it has sunk into the depths of the sea, convincing ourselves it was better than it really was—a sort of sinister “grass is greener” mindset. But here’s the reality: That ship has sailed—or sunk, I suppose.
Scripture reminds us of this truth:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
As children of God, we don’t need to remain fixated on the wreckage. Every day, we move closer to seeing our Savior face to face. God is sanctifying us, making us more like Christ. The Christian life is about new beginnings, moving forward, and one day experiencing the complete restoration of all things in God’s presence.
So, let’s set our sails and move forward in God’s will. Let’s leave behind the wreckage—both the negatives (mistakes and tragedies) and the positives (victories or cherished times we miss). Those things belong at the bottom of the ocean. We are not able to bring those to the surface for repair, so we shouldn’t waste our energy wishing we could.
The past is significant and part of our story, but it doesn’t need to hold us captive today. In Christ, we are new creations. By His grace, we can move on from sunken ships and embrace the new voyage He has planned for us.
