Tip of My Iceberg

Avast, me hearties! There’s riches for the takin’ if we just set our sights on what’s out there! Arrrrgh!

Pirates in their fictionalized state are fun. When the grands were here recently, one of the make-believe scenarios they loved to act out was being pirates. Books like Treasure Island and Peter Pan add to the imagination.

Pirates had the opportunity to sail the oceans of the world with no destination in mind but the horizon and desire. The adventure of new places and unexplored areas expresses a beautiful sense of freedom. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that historically there’d been female pirates as well. Gals like Grace O’Malley, the daughter of an Irish chieftain who became queen of her clan upon her dad’s death. Her ships attacked the ships of Queen Elizabeth as the monarch tried to exert more control over Ireland.

Pirates with purpose.

I’d love to sail freely around the world on an adventure of discovery. Not limited by the constraints of where I am. Free to be and do as I like, go where I please.

Not reality.

A friend of mine gave a talk on the heart of a leader, speaking of the need to take an inventory of where my heart is so that I can identify triggers that set me off and cause me to react in situations rather than respond with thought and care. He used a quote that put me in a pirate mindset.

“To be free to sail the seven seas, you must make yourself a slave to the compass. Every freedom has a corresponding slavery.”

I’ve no idea who said this, but it resonated with me because of how freedom is molded by slavery. The life of pirates wasn’t free from worry, hurry or danger. They needed their compasses to get them where they needed to go. No pillaging, no paycheck.

Not to make light of a nefarious profession, the reality of that quote defines our lives. In laymen’s terms, our many yeses are underlined by our need to say no.

In terms of my heart, if I give myself the freedom to do whatever I want, without concern for the rightness or wrongness of the action, the “yes” from those choices brings a resounding “no” from the effects it has on others. Consequences are a reality of all decisions made; I’m not free of them. Poor choices often bring hard consequences, ones I must live with because of the options I’ve chosen to pursue.

That’s hard to grasp. Freedom appears unrestricted. The truth is there is a cost for every freedom we have.

I may want to sail the seven seas, but I don’t want to have to use a compass.

And I’ll get nowhere.

God is my Compass. My true north. The One who gives a framework of truth for me to work within.

To thrive within.

Does my Compass limit me? Yes, but only in ways that are good for me, that protect and provide for me.

Which means, me hearties, I best set me sights on that Compass. Arrrgh.