One Small Hole Can Sink the Boat
I turn around and look, and the plug in the back of the boat, which by the way was an old plug that had been tack welded into place. The water was kind of dark and it had already filled up the back end of the boat, and I had no way to…
Begin with what is true
I turn around and look, and the plug in the back of the boat, which by the way was an old plug that had been tack welded into place. The water was kind of dark and it had already filled up the back end of the boat, and I had no way to plug the hole.
And so there I am looking at this hole in the boat, in the middle of this lake, thinking, man, that's unfair.
See God more clearly
Let me tell you about a Bible story that shows this to you. And the opposition, the Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodians, they knew that there was no way that Jesus just all totaled was going to fall apart on them, but they also knew if they could find one little weak spot, one hole, one crack, they might be able to sink him.
So in Matthew chapter 22, they asked him a series of questions, trying to find one hole in the boat that was Jesus' integrity.
Let faith shape the response
If I was out on the lake that night and the boat started filling up with water because the entire boat was ripping in two, because there was a six foot gash down the middle where the metal had just given way. I mean at least the one hole the water was only coming in at a certain rate and I had a chance to get back, and ultimately I would have the opportunity to repair that if I chose to, but if the whole boat was ripping in two, I would have sunk pretty quickly, and there really would have been no way to make it right.
I know it's not cool to consider that one mistake here or one overlooked little thing there can sink everything you're doing, but optimistically speaking, at least it's something small.
Live it today
And I whipped on that plug four or five times until I had driven it so deep in that hole it was never gonna come out. It took a little effort, a little searching, and a little bit of strength, but I plugged that hole.
I pushed that boat back out into the water, tested it, all looked good, drifted out along the line, didn't even need the trolling motor, wind had died down, just paddled around the corner and caught seven bass just as the sun was going down.
Take the idea with you.
- 01Where does the central idea of “One Small Hole Can Sink the Boat” show up most clearly in my life right now?
- 02What does this episode call me to believe, stop, start, or handle differently?
- 03What is one specific action I can take today instead of merely agreeing with the idea?
Listen to the original episode
This article was adapted from Episode 60 · Plugging the Hole. Continue with the podcast for the original teaching in Kris’s voice.
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