Getting on the Wrong Boat!

This past Monday I had the privilege to take a missionary friend to The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. To get there, we parked on the New Jersey side at Liberty State Park and took the ferry to the island. (The only way to get there from either New Jersey or New York is by ferry). We spent the day in the museum and then, at the end of the day boarded a ferry to get back to where our car was parked. It was a beautiful, albeit chilly, ride. The sun was low on the horizon. The Statue of Liberty seemed to be glowing, as were the buildings of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Jersey City that surrounded us. Yes, it was truly beautiful…until I noticed that we were riding right by Liberty State Park and heading towards Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan! Immediately I realized, we had gotten on the wrong ferry! 

I soon found out that, since this was the last ferry of the day, we couldn’t ride back to either Ellis Island or Liberty State Park via this ferry. In a very quick minute, I had to find out how we could best get back to where our car was parked. As it turned out, we had to walk about 15 minutes north, wait about 45 minutes, and catch the “Water Taxi” which would take us back to Liberty State Park. This time I made sure, we got on the right boat! (Thankfully, my missionary friend was a great sport about it all.) 

I think we have all experienced times in our lives when we have ended up some place that was not where we intended to be. It may have been a physical place (like me ending up in Manhattan when I was supposed to be in New Jersey). Or even worse, it may have been in a job or a relationship or some other sort of life situation that turned out to be not the destination we had in mind. And when we begin to ask, “How did I get here?” we most often find that somewhere along the line we took a turn we should not have taken, made a hasty and uninformed decision, took the wrong person’s advice, or maybe followed the wrong crowd.  It’s like we got onto a ferry that was taking us to the wrong destination. 

How important it is for us to remember that, every decision we make leads us to a destination of some sort—some good and some that are harmful or even destructive. That’s why the Bible teaches us to be careful about the decisions we make and the paths that we take. The writer of Proverbs says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12 - NIV) In other words, sometimes we may think we are making a good decision or moving in the right direction, but if we would take the time to look a little closer, maybe be a bit more inspective and even introspective, we just might realize we are getting on the wrong boat.  

Even more importantly, at each important juncture in life, we would do well to pause, pray, and ask God for his leading and direction. After all, he is the One who knows what is best for us and how to get us to the right destination. As the psalmist wrote, “ He (the Lord) will instruct them in the ways they should choose.” (Psalm 25:12)  And, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8) 

Let me encourage you today to take heed to every small decision and step you take, even praying each step of the way. After all, you don’t want to get on the wrong boat!

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris