Lessons from a Tug Boat
I was on my way to preschool with my 4 year old this morning and she was showing amazement at how something as small as a tug boat can manoeuvre such huge ships. That discussion was the catalyst for this blog post.
I’ve watched in awe as huge ships are controlled, pushed and pulled by these tiny tug boats. They understand they may be small but they are very powerful and we can learn a lot from their example.
The success of a tug boat is not based on its size but its power. It does not let its small size over-ride its responsibilities and role. It understands it has a huge engine in a relatively small boat.
So often in life we are confronted with situations where we seem to facing challenges that are far larger than us – far too big for us to tame and conquer. We look at the size and fear tends to grip us and we retreat, fearing we will be defeated, crushed or embarrassed. However, it’s not the outward size of something that dictates how formidable the obstacle is but the size of our heart, faith, determination and desire.
Sir Edmund Hillary after he failed at his first attempt to conquer the world’s highest mountain is quoted as saying “Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I’ll beat you the next time because you’ve grown all you are going to grow…but I’m still growing!” He knew it was more about his heart, knowledge, body, preparation and determination than the obstacle itself. He and Tenzing Norgay went on to become the first people to conquer the worlds highest peak in 1953.
Consider the biblical example of David vs Goliath. The shepherd boy who through faith in his God and great courage beat the larger and supposedly more powerful warrior.
It is more about the inside than the outside. The tugboat knows this.
