I do a teaching called “Rowboat, Motorboat, Sailboat”. It occurred to me that most people can be put in one of those three categories, or tribes. We all have a predominate nature. I believe we can grow and evolve to a different “way” if we decide to. Our “way” of thinking, living, acting can be changed. I have done so myself, and history is full of people who have done so.

In this teaching the Rowboat person is a very physical type individual. They like jobs “keeping it simple”. Working with their hands, the strength of their back, endurance, swinging a hammer or driving a truck. They work in warehouses and dock yards. All kinds of physical stuff. There is brainwork involved too, to a point, but it is predominately a physical job. These are the Rowboat people, of which I would be one if not for the Sailboat. Rowboat is my secondary. I have learned to be Sailboat and I love it.

But before we get to the Sailboat people, we have the Motorboat tribes. Now these people really love to rev things up, and they do it by intelligence. They love using their brain. They invent things, such as the combustion engine. Why row row row your boat when you can invent a motor! These people love more power. Labor saving devices. They prefer to pay a carpenter to remodel their house while they go be a lawyer, or doctor, or salesman. ETC. They live predominately by brain-power.

A Rowboat person, or Sailboat, might have a Motorboat job, but if they do it’s likely just a means to an end. They can hardly wait to get away from the job, or they do it a different way than the purely Motorboat person would. We will look at the differences a little more closely, but first, the Sailboat tribe.

As you may have figured by now, the Sailboats are the, lets say, “Spiritual” people. These people believe we have a soul. We are more than flesh and blood. Life does not end in the graveyard. There is an unseen world on the “other side”. They believe in God, Bible, or something, but they try to hear the “leading” of their spirit. A good metaphor is they love the wind; the ways of a Sailboat gracefully cutting across a sunset horizon, powered by the wind, not some man-made motor or physical effort.

The Bible puts it this way: Jesus said to Nicodemus > “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) Jesus Himself, compared God’s ways to the Wind.

Notice the “S” in Spirit is capitalized. This indicates being led of the Spirit of God. The Sailboat person does not want to go against the wind, or Spirit of God, but rather to live in harmony with God’s will in all things. Indeed, even be empowered by the Spirit of God like the wind in the sails of a boat. The Captain of a Sailboat loves the wind, and must learn the ways of a Sailboat for they are very different than the other two vessels. Sailboat ways are very different indeed.

Both the Rowboat and Motorboat person can go against the wind. Especially the Motorboat. They may pay little attention to it, other than keeping the nose of the boat into the waves. The Motorboat Captain simply says, “Rev up the motors! We’ll show Mother Nature who’s boss!” And the Rowboat people simply say, Row harder, boys! Row harder!”

There are many differences between the Sailboat thinking and the others. The Motorboat may love their power and speed, but that gasoline also cost more money. They have a need for more money. They have a great temptation to love money. And that motor is noisy! Sailboats love the peacefulness of the wind.

The Sailboat will require more patience and an understanding of sailing. This can be a challenge. But the wind is free! And they are free to stay out there as long as they like and go anywhere they want. The freedom of a Sailboat is greatly to be enjoyed. But it does take a certain kind of nature about you, to love the ways of the Sailboat. They are the Spirit loving people.

The Rowboat and Motorboat Captain may not even believe in such things. When you’re dead, you’re dead. (They may think.) If I don’t see it, I don’t believe it. These Sailboat people are suckers to believe all that mumbo-jumbo. But the Sailboat knows their gasoline will run out one day. And the rower will lose all strength. The heart will stop beating and they will be on the “other side”. It will be too late then. They are doomed to sink to a place they do not want to go.

However, the wind is eternal. The Spirit led person knows this and have adapted their way of living to things eternal, not earthly, not sand, not flesh and blood. God’s Word says the arm of flesh will fail us. And we know it is so, whether we believe the Bible or not.

We can change. We can choose to park the Rowboat or Motorboat and climb into a vessel dependent upon the wind. We can even choose to drop that man-made motor to the ocean floor if we want to. We can choose to learn a different way. God’s Book of sailing upon the seven seas of life is available to one and all. Whosoever will, God has said. He put it in writing.

Over the years of growing to be a Sailboat rather than Rowboat, I have learned to love the Wind. So it is with those born of the Spirit, Jesus said. Amen.

Which are you? Rowboat, Motorboat, Sailboat? Comments are welcome.