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The Boat
The Boat
A man was asked to paint a boat. He brought his paint and brushes and
began to paint the boat a bright red, as the owner asked him. While
painting, he noticed a small hole in the hull, and quietly repaired it. When
he finished painting, he received his money and left.
The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter and presented him
with a nice check, much higher than the payment for painting. The painter
was surprised and said “You’ve already paid me for painting the boat, Sir!”
“But this is not for the paint job. It’s for repairing the hole in the boat.”
“Ah! But it was such a small service . . . certainly it’s not worth paying me
such a high amount for something so insignificant.”
“My dear friend, you do not understand. Let me tell you what happened:
When I asked you to paint the boat, I forgot to mention the hole. When the
boat dried, my kids took the boat and went on a fishing trip. They did not
know that there was a hole. I was not at home at that time. “
“When I returned and noticed they had taken the boat, I was desperate,
because I remembered that the boat had a hole. Imagine my relief and joy,
when I saw them returning from fishing. Then, I examined the boat and
found that you had repaired the hole! You see, now, what you did? You
saved the life of my children! I do not have enough money to pay your
‘small’ good deed.”
How often in life do we say or do something that in our eyes seemed
inconsequential but had a powerful impact on someone else. Just a hello, a
text, holding a door open, maybe a smile . . . but to the person you granted
that small measure of service to, it changed their day for the better.
Ephesians 2:10 says: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in
them.” This verse in Ephesians tells us a lot about God, how we were
created, what we were created for, and our relationship with God.
I want to focus on “created in Christ Jesus for good works”. . . specifically
the “good works” portion. We know from Genesis that man was made to
work. We were to work in the Garden, and after the fall we were again
made to work on the earth. It’s part of our DNA. This scripture tells that
we are to do good works specifically. How are we supposed to know what
those good works are? The bible again reveals this answer through His
word in Mark 12:31 – “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Paul expands on this idea of loving thy neighbor or
one another: “Love is patient, kind, not jealous, does not brag, not
arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, does not seek his own, not provoked,
does not rejoice in unrighteousness, rejoices in truth.”
We can see the works manifest themselves in our lives as described in the
Fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-
control; against such things there is no law.”
If we want to be a workman of Christ, we need to start with love. That love
for God (Mark 12:30) and his creation will drive us to serve one another. It
will inspire us to find ways to serve, and in turn the world will see that we
are a peculiar people and ask us about the Hope that is within us (1 Peter
3:15).
So, find ways, whether great or small, to serve one another . . . carefully
repair all the “leaks” you find. You never know when one is in need of a
“good work.”
Along the way, you may have repaired numerous “boat holes” for several
people without realizing how many lives you’ve saved.
Make a difference . . . be the best you. Always do more!
- Craig Hecht
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The Power of Little Things
Francis Ridley Havergal
The memory of a kindly word for long gone by,
The fragrance of a fading flower sent lovingly,
The gleaming of a sudden smile or sudden tear,
The warm pressure of the hand, the tone of cheer.
The note that only bears a verse from God’s own Word:
Such tiny things we hardly count as ministry,
The givers deeming they have shown scant sympathy;
But when the heart is overwrought, Oh, who can tell
The power of such tiny things to make it well !
“I expect to pass through life but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness
I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it
now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”
- William Penn
