Man overboard!" The call rang out and triggered actions that every sailor is trained to perform automatically.
The day had been all that sailing buffs could ask for. My husband and I had happily accepted our friends' invitation to join them on their thirty-foot sailboat for the weekend. We had sailed close by two of the great sailing ships of South America and joined a number of sailboats and small craft to watch and cheer the two ships as they passed by majestically, under full sail.
We suddenly realized that a small boat had capsized in the stiff breeze and its pilot was in need of immediate assistance. Being experienced sailors, the two men on our boat anticipated the elderly gentleman's needs and, with the help of another craft, brought him aboard, picking up his scattered equipment and righting his small boat. In the concentration of the moment, during which I was praying earnestly to understand God's guidance and omnipotent care, I did not hear my hostess call out, "Coming about!"
Suddenly the boom struck my head so forcefully that I was knocked down on the deck and against the lifelines. My one thought was "You are here, God —now." I just held to this thought with my whole being and understanding, and this Bible verse from I John flooded my receptive thought: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I held fast to the spiritual fact that at that very moment I was in truth God's child, His spiritual offspring. I was absolutely convinced of God's care and assured our hostess of this.
We completed the man overboard exercise, and I was able to alert my husband to help me through prayer. I did not examine my head or body, but instead continued to pray.
That evening, although I had difficulty using the ladder and combing my hair, no one noticed any slowing down in my participation. The next morning my movements were free and vigorous and included diving off the boat for a morning swim. Bruises disappeared very shortly.
As we hold our thoughts radically in line with the premise that perfect God and His perfect man are present now, we can express God's dominion in our daily lives. I am very grateful.
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
