My wife Susan says you should never place a painting on a chair. You should hang it on a wall. Or lean it on a wall. Searching scripture we learn in Matthew 5:15 “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” As does the painting. A watercolor now moved from the chair to the wall behind the record player. Not attached to the wall. It sits securely on a yoga block. Most use the block has seen in a long time. How long? Years.

The watercolor is of a sailboat on the Hudson River. I wonder if the sailor is singing and where the sailor is sailing to. I was on a sailboat once and only once. I was with a college friend. It was late in the afternoon. The wind blew and then soon disappeared. We walked the sailboat home along the shoreline. I have been on ferry boats. Paddle boats, too. And rowboats. Jesus said to the disciples in the rowboat, which did have a small mast, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Where is this sailboat going? Where is the sailor going?

Down the Hudson River to the Atlantic Ocean?

Is the sailor singing “somewhere across the sea?”

Beyond the sea. (BTW: I Love the song) The song, the quest, makes me think of in the early 1900s, Reverend Russell Conwell earned 5 million dollars by giving the same speech, titled “Acres of Diamonds,” more than 6,000 times to audiences across the country.

His speech told the story of a farmer who sold his farm so he could travel overseas searching for diamonds. After a lifetime of searching, he returned home penniless, having never found treasure.

In the meantime, the man who purchased the farm noticed a sparkle in the stream running through the property. He waded into the water and found – a diamond!

The farm was sitting on one of the world’s largest diamond mines, making the new owner rich beyond his wildest dreams.

The point of Conwell’s speech: You can find a fortune literally in your own backyard if you take the time to look for it.

The reverend concluded his talk by telling listeners: “Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or yonder seas. They are in your own backyard if you but dig for them.”

This thought makes me think about Percival’s search for The Holy Grail.

After many years of searching he asks “who does the grail serve?

A more appropriate question might be “what does my life serve” or “what is my purpose?”

The Grail is not some specific purpose—it’s a symbol for purpose. The search for the grail is the grail. This interpretation of the grail myth is essentially the same as the Tao, the way, the path—and attaining “the grail” is not only possible only by walking the path, as expressed by the Taoist concept of de, but walking the path is the grail. It’s not the goal that holds the meaning— it’s the process of finding meaning that is precisely how we create meaning.

The “grail,” then, seems to be more about how one is living than what one is aiming for.

As Connor Beaton puts it, “It’s a spiritual thrust, a river that you’re put on…” and on that river, “Your life begins to slowly turn more and more and more towards congruency and coherence, and the more coherence you feel…the more purposeful you feel.”

Sailboats symbolize journey and adventure. They also are associated with being carried along by the “breath of life,” as its primary form of momentum is gained through the wind in its sails.

Sailboats are easily tossed about by the slightest windstorm, and yet – in the right hands – they can maneuver incredible voyages. Is this not a perfect picture of you and me – fragile, broken people just dripping with potential?

If the wind isn’t blowing, then the captain of a sailboat simply has to roll up his sails and wait for better conditions. We often grow impatient with God, but waiting on His timing is always worth it. He may very well just be waiting for the right conditions to move you forward!

Sailboats don’t do very well when sailing against the wind, and neither do we. Follow God’s whispers in your life and you’ll find smooth sailing. But resist God’s direction and you’ll find yourself at a standstill or – even worse – capsized!

For these reasons, the sailboat is a “life symbol.”

The boat was a very early Christian symbol. It has been used to represent the Church itself reaching a safe haven with its Christian souls onboard, thus a symbol of safety. This echoes Noah’s ark and also the story of Jesus protecting Peter and his apostles on the stormy sea. (Mark 4:35-41)

A fishing boat might represent the Kingdom of Christ and his followers. Jesus told his disciples to “follow me and I will make you fishers of men”.

The central seating area of the church is called the Nave which derives from the Latin for Ship.

The mast of the boat itself often formed a cross and thus represented the cross especially in times of persecution when the cross needed to be disguised.

The boat as a symbol in spirituality embodies the entire journey of faith—facing challenges, relying on Jesus for guidance, finding purpose, and collectively moving toward a destination of spiritual growth and communion with God.

The boat in the context of Matthew 8:23-26 can be seen as a symbol of the journey of faith. It represents the disciples’ life journey and their relationship with Jesus. The storm that arises reflects the challenges and uncertainties that believers may face in their spiritual journey. Jesus calming the storm signifies His authority and the reassurance that faith in Him can bring peace and stability amid life’s storms. The boat, therefore, symbolizes the vessel of faith navigating through the trials of life with Jesus as the guiding force.

In Christian symbolism, the boat can indeed be interpreted as a representation of the church. The imagery of a boat or ship is used in various biblical passages to symbolize the community of believers navigating through the challenges of life together. In this context, the storm and Jesus calming it can symbolize the trials and tribulations faced by the church, and the belief that faith in Jesus brings stability and protection to the community of believers. This interpretation aligns with the idea of the church as a spiritual refuge and a place of collective faith.

In closing, whether we are on calm or stormy seas, a dedicated practice of gratitude in our journey reminds us of the magnificent blessings that surround us every day

Paul write in Acts 17:27:

“God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him, But he is not far from any us.”

It is about looking.

Mary Oliver writes:

Instructions for living:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.