On 11 January, 2007, Andrew McAuley set off to paddle a kayak solo across the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand. It was a long and dangerous stretch of water, with frequent severe storms. McAuley, a highly-experienced kayaker, entrusted his life to one small kayak and his own physical fitness and skill.
Sadly, he didn't make it. On 12 February his empty kayak was found just 30 nautical miles from the coast of New Zealand. His body was never found. McAuley had placed enormous faith in his little kayak and his own ability. But his kayak, or his own skills – or both – let him down.
Around the same time, another young man set out from Australia to traverse the Tasman Sea to New Zealand—my son, David Thurlow.
There were two critical differences between the journeys however – the first difference was that Dave didn't paddle a kayak. He flew on a commercial jet. The second difference was that he arrived safely in New Zealand.
Dave didn't entrust his life to a flimsy kayak, nor did he put any faith in his own fitness or skill. He just sat on the plane and was carried across the ocean by the experts.
So who showed the most faith in their means of transport? I would suggest that it takes a lot more faith to rely on a kayak to cross an ocean than a commercial plane.
Yet it was not the one who showed the most faith who made it to New Zealand. Rather, it was the one who showed faith in the most reliable means of transport.
That's the thing about faith – it's not how much faith you have that counts, but rather what you put your faith in. To borrow from the words of Jesus, it doesn't matter if your faith is the size of a mustard seed, as long as the thing you put your faith in is going to get you where you want to go.
In the same way, it's not our faith that gets us to Heaven, but the Saviour in whom we put our faith. Exercising faith can be as passive as sitting on an aeroplane. But if it's a reliable plane, we'll reach our destination.
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