When It’s Time to Stop Bailing

We used to own an old boat, a 1978 Sunray with a 140 hp. Mercruiser inboard/outboard engine.  We called it Old Blue.  It was the nautical equivalent of a half-ton truck, not especially pretty but powerful enough for almost any job and reliable enough to be taken for granted.  We mostly used it for water skiing.  When I pushed the throttle full forward, it roared a burst of power that drove the stern deep into the water.  For the skier, it seemed to take forever before it moved forward.  Since our kids learned behind Old Blue, they can water ski behind just about anything.

One early spring day, my beloved and I persuaded one of our sons to go for a run down the Bay.  No skiing, fishing or swimming, just a boat ride.

Despite a few muttering comments about how boring it is to be old, Junior agreed.  So off we went.

A heavy chop caused Old Blue to ride low in the back.  My place at the wheel was nice and dry but those at the back were complaining about the spray.

Get over it, said I.  About fifteen minutes later, my Beloved complained that her feet were getting wet.  Nothing to worry about, said I, dismissing it as the natural consequence of a rough ride.  The bilge pump would soon look after it. 

A few minutes later, she reported that the water was up to her ankles.  I told her to give the pump a chance to do its job.  But, said she, the water was hot.  How come?

A good question.  I stopped the boat and we undertook an investigation.

When the cowling was lifted off the engine it was obvious that we were sinking.  I kept the engine running so as not to lose power to the bilge pump.  Junior and I grabbed a couple of buckets and we started bailing.  Two dippers plus the pump could not keep up.  We were still sinking.  Fast.

Then Junior asked why water was coming out of the engine.  Another good question.  There was a stream of water pouring out of a hole in the side of the motor.  That's why the water was hot.  As long as I kept the motor running, we would continue to sink.  I shut it off.

When the boat was serviced that year, the mechanic had neglected to replace the plug in the engine block.  He should have known better.  I should have figured out the problem before we came so close to sinking.  But there was a happy ending, once I convinced our son to stick his finger in the hole so we could restart the engine and head for home.

During all that pumping and bailing, before I turned off the motor, we were dealing with the symptoms without addressing the cause of the problem.

In one of the most remarkable exchanges recorded in the gospels, Jesus met a man who had been crippled for years.  Every day, the man was carried to the marketplace and set down beside a pool that was famous for its healing water.  People believed that, from time to time, a spirit would enter the pool and the first person into the water would be healed of his or her affliction.  Unfortunately for the crippled guy, he was too slow and could never get there first.

When Jesus came along, he asked the guy what must have sounded like a ridiculous question.  Do you want to get well?  The man spent every day by the magic pool but what he was doing wasn't making it better.  It probably offended him but the question needed to be asked.  Did he really want to get better?

It makes you wonder about all the things in our lives we think we're trying to change but never do.  Maybe it's time to stop dealing with the symptoms.

Maybe it's time to figure out the source of the problem and do something about it.

Whether in the stuff of our personal lives, the issues we face in our communities or the challenges which confront the church, if the effort to make things better feels like a lot of useless bailing, maybe it's time to turn off the motor and address the causes instead of the symptoms.