I’m Going on a Sailboat

 

I’m learning to sail, and I’ll be sailing for the rest of my life. 

 

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I’m standing on the bow of a big sailboat, at the very tip. Arms outstretched, head tilted up, eyes closed. I smile a smile of absolute, undeniable bliss. My face says radiance. It says triumph. 

Zoom out. I realize now that it’s not just me and my sailboat, but a whole fleet of sailboats. Each sailboat with its own captain, each captain holding the same radiance and bliss and triumph that I hold.

We sail, all together. We sail into the beautiful, mysterious, and vast expanse that is the ocean. 

 

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Let me take a few steps back. You might be a little confused.

About a week ago, we had another all-night worship prayer burn. Our first hour was worship together as a squad. We had no plan, no setlist, no agenda. We were just there to worship the Lord and see Him show up. 

And He did exactly that. 

At one point, we started singing the song Sails by Pat Barrett. The quotes in this blog are taken from that song. As we sang, the Lord gave me the image I talked about above, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since.

 

“I let out the sails of my heart

Here I am, here You are”

 

I asked the Lord a question: 

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What is my sailboat? 

 

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Liberty, He said. It’s called liberty.

You’ve just started sailing, but pretty soon, you’ll have your own fleet. 

 

These words just get weightier and heavier the more I sit with them.

He’s right, of course: this year, I have walked into liberty. 

The Lord has exposed lie after lie with His truth and light. He has broken the chains of performance and insecurity and led me into the freedom of living as a daughter. He has shown me what He calls me.

 

“There’s no pretending

Here in Your love

Oh Lord, set me free”

 

He has brought me into the reality of what it means to be loved by Him. He has become my home, my comfort, my closest friend. He has shown me what true intimacy looks like with Him. 

 

“I’m finally seeing

You were here all along

Your love wasn’t absent

No, it doesn’t come or go”

 

I have walked into freedom, YES I HAVE. I have begun to learn what it means to sail on this beautiful ship called Liberty.

And because I have learned to sail on Liberty, I get to teach others to do the same. I get to walk others through what I have walked through and learned along this journey.

As a squad, each of us have been brought into liberty in some way or another. And from here on out, we get to sail and invite others to sail with us. We may not all be going the same direction, but what matters is that we sail into the unknown beauty of His ocean.

You have your own sailboat too, believe it or not. Maybe you’re sailing on it right now, blissful and radiant. Maybe you have a whole fleet. Or maybe you haven’t even left the dock; that’s okay. The Lord has liberty for you, press in, ask. He wants to show you the ropes, He wants to be the wind in your sails. 

 

“I let out the sails of my heart

Here I am, here You are”

 

8 more days, and I set sail. This embarkation is bittersweet and hard to think about right now. But I’ve begun to see the beauty in the coming moments of saying goodbye: all the liberty there is to celebrate, and all the liberty there is to look forward to. 

 

“Oh Lord, set me free

Set me free”

 

I’m setting sail. Sailing away and away. I have no idea where, but that’s the best part. I know that no matter where I go and no matter what I do, I am sailing on Liberty. 

The wind at my back. I am being carried out farther and farther into the vastness of all that He is. 

I’m going on a sailboat, it’s called Liberty. What’s your sailboat called?

 

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I’m signing off now, this is very likely the last blog of my Race. In two days, my squad and I will head to debrief where we process these past months in the Dominican Republic, the closing of this season, and prepare for going home. This is crazy. 

Pray for us: that we will process, grieve, and celebrate this time well. Pray that we stay present and planted where we are and soak in every last moment together. 

If you’ve supported me or followed along in any way during this journey, I can’t thank you enough. I appreciate you SO much. 

You are loved!

 

Emma

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