“Whoa… hold on! Here comes another wave!”

 

  “I don’t know if I can handle this anymore. rdquo;

 

  “I hear you, this sea sickness is horrible”

 

  “It’s not the nausea; it’s the anxiety?”

 

  “What do you mean?”

 

  “I can’t handle the thoughts of not knowing if we are going to make it to the next port or not.”

 

  “Oh we will make it alright.”

 

  “How can you be sure of that?”

 

  “Because, I know the Captain.”

 

  “Well, I met the Captain before we got on board.”

 

“Yeah. But, I have been through a lot of storms, far worse than this one with him, and he has always brought me through.”

 

“How can you be so confident?”

 

“Because, I have seen him risk his life for his crew. He will do whatever it takes to get us there.”

 

“But aren’t you scared?”

 

“At the moment no”

 

“So, you do get scared?”

 

“Oh yeah, at times I get really scared.”

 

“So, how can you reconcile your fear with your supposed faith in the Captain?”

 

“I learned from an old war veteran. He stated that courage is not the absence of fear; it is the pressing through the fear which is courage. So, I apply that to my faith in the Captain. My fear is not a sign showing lack of faith, it is a sign that I may be in terrible danger, but my trust is a sign of faith in the Captain’s character and that he is going to do everything to bring me through that danger.”

 

“I don’t get it?”

 

“It is a hard one I know. Fear is the sign about an event; faith is a sign about trust in the character of someone else. You see faith does not need know how all the events are going to work out, or need to have all knowledge about the sea, or how the ship runs, it trusts the character of the captain. As an example from my personal life, when my wife and I first got married and moved into our first house together, I went down to this ATM and pulled out money for the rent and the deposit. We only had so much, and it was her bank account. Well, the ATM shorted me $400 of the $1200 I tried to pull out. I was distraught; less about the money, but more about how my wife was going to respond. She didn’t even bat an eye. She said, we would be ok, we will get through this. She wasn’t aware that I was more concerned with her response toward my character. We got through financially, actually through the help of the Captain. After four months, the bank vindicated my character by saying that it was the ATM’s fault. My wife didn’t know all the circumstances all throughout that time. How could she? She wasn’t there when I picked up the money. I could have spent it. I could have used it to pay off an old dept, or who knows. I asked her how she could have trusted me so. She gave examples of how I had been trustworthy before, and that she knew my heart. So, faith is not built on trumped up belief, but on examining a character that unfolds through experiences.”

 

“But, do you always get sick while sailing with the Captain?”

 

“Oh, no, there are calm days on the sea also. Actually, a lot of days are so gentle, beautiful, and peaceful; it makes the storms worth it”

 

“But, isn’t your sea sickness a sign that you don’t trust the Captain? “

 

“Oh no, being sea sick is just the fluid balance in your ears telling your stomach that the angle of the ship under you is sloping in one direction and your eyes telling your stomach something different. Sometimes, the troughs are so deep that your eyes can’t always see the horizon to get an accurate bearing. Sea sickness is a response of the physical body, not a reponse of the soul. Therefore, it is not a sign of one's faith."

 

“But, while the sea is so stormy; you are so peaceful, yet I am filled with anxiety?”

 

“For my peace is not determined by the condition of the sea; for peace comes from trust. You see, when I first met the captain I was in a terrible storm, my ship was sinking; my ship rolled, and went under. The Captain actually lost his life saving me. He drowned. But, his father, the Admiral, was there and resuscitated him, and brought him back to life. And, I know that he would die again for me if needed, so I have faith in the Captain’s great character.”

 

“By the way, I didn’t catch the Captain’s name.”

 

“Oh, his name is Jesus.”