Cheesewiz and Marshmallow Cream

The radio in my car recently gave up its fight for survival, leaving me with a lot of time to think. After a rather silent drive to the Vancouver airport this weekend , I started thinking about lifeboats.

I’ll admit that spending three hours pondering the nature of lifeboats is a little strange but it’s amazing what lengths I will go to keep myself entertained. I just finished a book called, Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. Throughout the book, he makes an interesting analogy between life and a lifeboat.

When you think about it, existence in a lifeboat would be pretty challenging. Can you imagine being stuck on a floating piece of rubber with a bunch of people you do not know? What if provisions were limited and you had to convince others that you were worthy of a spot on the boat?

I can picture it now. All the survivors are gathered around our minuscule provisions; one can of tuna, a few stale crackers and a bottle of spring water. A debate is raging about who deserves to stay in the lifeboat. I figure if I stay quiet, no one will notice I am hanging out in the raft. Suddenly the spotlight shines on me and the guy next to me pipes up.

“Aren’t you the one who tried out for the every sports team in Junior High School but got cut for being too small? Now that I think of it, you also eat marshmallow cream and Cheesewiz straight from the jar,” he says.

I have been discovered and the tap dance begins. I feel that I need to prove myself and establish my spot on dry land. I quickly go through my list achievements trying to think of something great but I am grasping at straws.

“I spend a lot of time writing down ideas and well (I stammer) my Mom thinks I am pretty funny,” I say.

From the looks of my fellow survivors, they are unconvinced so I keep talking. I tell them I used to be a synchronized swimmer and have run a few marathons. Still nothing but to my horror a decision is made. Since I know how to swim, I am chosen to walk the plank.

It might be a stretch but I agree with Miller’s idea that life in North America is similar to a lifeboat. Sometimes I find myself chatting about my activities in hopes that people will take notice and think I am cool. I am constantly searching for approval in almost every aspect of my life. I dare say that if you stop for a moment, you might discover the same.

The funny thing is I believe we were designed to need acceptance and live in community. I think it’s easy to get caught up in lifeboat culture, thinking that others or ourselves are somehow better. According to Judeo-Christian traditions, there is a fact I often miss, we are all equal and there is enough room in the lifeboat for all of us.

I know for some people it is hard to grasp that they are in fact worthy. After years of struggling to survive in the lifeboat, it can be exhausting. For me life is more than a lifeboat full of achievement because one look at the design of a leaf and I am convinced there has to be more to it.

Lifeboat or not, my challenge for myself and others is to look beyond the lifeboat for truth. If the search is in earnest, I believe you will find it.