To Morro(w)

Morro Bay, California

The end of the beginning

The start of tomorrow

"The call of God is like the call of the sea. No one hears it except he who has the sea in him."

These are the words of a very wise man, and they are the only words that I know of that can accurately describe the mystery that shrouds the life of one who is following the King of more than just the sea.



In my moments of reflection yesterday when we went to Morro, something about this calling struck me. I was perched atop jutting stone staring into the surf of the Pacific Ocean as it met the rocky shore. The waves crashed into white pinnacles of foam and exploded in watery fireworks just below me.



To my left and my right were scattered dozens of CCMers, all entranced by the power of the ocean and their God, quieted by their own thoughts. I turned from the Pacific to gaze past the jetty protecting the mouth to the harbor and past the peninsula into Morro Bay. And then God whispered to me.




What God said painted a picture for me, and it applies to each of his sons and daughters no matter their occupation or dreams. For now, though, I would like to express it as if it were a story intended for a CCMer, whose name will be Billy.

When Billy was a child, he dreamed great dreams for his life. There was no restraint and no boundaries. His parents believed wholeheartedly in him. Every day they told him that he would change the world someday, that he would be the sort of man that others strive so hard to be. Now Billy loved to play on the beach. The sand castles and swimming and tide pools and boating were enough to entertain him for days. With every passing year, Billy grew more fond of the ocean. He knew there had to be more to it than what he could see, and indeed, his older brothers would often leave him behind to go out beyond the peninsula to jet ski and fish. They would come back with fantastical tales of jellyfish and tides and huge waves and devastating undertows, and Billy could not wait to be allowed out of the bay and into more wonderful things. Sometimes he would forget to play on the beach and would watch for hours as yachts, sailboats, and fishing trawlers silently slipped past him for the opening of the bay and would disappear around the point of the peninsula. Billy knew that one day he would sail on a boat out of the harbor.

When Billy turned thirteen, and more people were starting to call him Will, his brothers began his rigorous training in order to take him with them on their trips into the ocean. They made him swim in deeper water without a life jacket. They made him tread water every day until he could do it for half an hour. They taught him how to hold his breath longer than he ever thought he could. He practiced snorkeling with them and learned what to do if water got in his snorkel. He was tempted to think that all their efforts were a little extreme and that instead of all the swimming lessons, some practice on his brothers' jet skis may be more exciting and effective. "Only experts can handle the fury of the ocean," they told him as they laughed confidently. Will did not complain. He only hoped his brothers were not wasting his time. The day finally came when Will's brothers bought him a wet suit and put him on the back of one of their jet skiis.

The first time they rounded the point of that peninsula and the ocean became visible, Will was astounded by her beauty. The beaches were so much larger on this side of the peninsula, the waves were five times the size of any he had ever seen, and his brothers were heroes to him as they demonstrated the ease with which they handled the wildness of the sea. He was confused, though, for as he clung to his eldest brother on the back of the racing watercraft, he noticed that they were still surrounded by walls of rocks—a breakwater. There was a small opening, but no one was heading for it. Will glanced around and saw that there was plenty of room and plenty of adventure to be had on this side of the peninsula, but it was not the ocean he had thought it would be.

"Let's go out there!" he yelled into his brother's ear and motioning toward the gap in the rock.

"Are you kidding me?!" his brother yelled back. "We never go out there!"

"But the ocean's out there!"

"What?"

"This isn't the ocean at all! It's out there!"

But Will's brother either did not hear him or did not respond, and Will did not make his suggestion again.

Will quickly left his little beaches and kayaks behind and joined his brothers in the jetty every day. It took two years before he brought up the subject going out on the ocean, and they only laughed and said few did because hardly anyone had the money or training or expertise to survive the open water. But Will knew he would never be satisfied as long as he remained inside the breakwater. He could hear the roar of the surf pounding relentlessly at the rock barrier though he could not see them. He could still see the boats and ships coming and going, and his desire to see where they went deepened.

When Will turned eighteen, and more people were starting to call him William, he went to the fishermen and sea captains and asked them to mentor him, to prepare him for a life on the ocean. Like them, he knew that he could not resist the lure of the sea, he knew he had to do more than his brothers were doing, and he was willing to work harder than his brothers had to prove himself capable of it. His mentors told him stories of the sea and her danger and charm and freedom and eternity. They taught him navigational skills and survival tricks and many such things only real seamen could know. He even bought a dingy in order to garner his sailing skills within the walls of the breakwater.

William's brothers laughed at his work and said it wasn't worth it, that he should just settle down as they had. But William did not want to live in the little town and work as a carpenter for the rest of his life. He did not want to guide visitors on canoe tours of the bay. He did not want to live life just because he had to. William knew that since he had been given a chance to change the world that that was not only what he had to do, but that was what he wanted to do. The call of the surf upon the rocks on the seaward side of the jetty only filled him with determination to be that man his parents had said so many times that he would be.

For three years William studied and trained diligently under the tutelage of his mentors. The morning of his twenty-first birthday a tall ship such as he had never seen before sailed into the bay. She was a beautiful schooner named Tomorrow with three masts and a crew that prided themselves of their care for her. She was tasked with educating the younger generation about an era gone by, a respect for the sea, and bringing history to life. One of William's mentors immediately arranged for him to crew for the Tomorrow. His brothers begged to go, but they were not allowed, for life at sea would be too demanding for them. While the ship laid in the harbor, William was very quickly introduced to the crew and the ship, and he was instructed as to the duties of his position. He had been working so hard at learning the ropes of his little dingy and paying such good attention to his mentors that both William and the captain of the Tomorrow knew that he would do his job well. William's anticipation for his first voyage on the ocean increased so much that it was almost unbearable.

And then the day came.

William waved goodbye to his brothers and friends from the ratlines of the Tomorrow as she trolled past the point of the peninsula and into the breakwater. The town disappeared and with it went those who were satisfied with the beach and the bay. The jetty welcomed them, and from behind the rock walls, William heard the old familiar call of the sea. Now he was answering it. Now he was ready. He scrambled higher up the rigging, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ocean he was about to sojourn upon. But just as he had climbed to a better level, the ship reached the opening of the jetty, and the order was given to make sail. The crew unfurled the sails, and the Tomorrow eagerly pushed forward. The breakwater disappeared beyond its own walls and with it went those who were satisfied with believing the jetty was as good as the ocean. His job done, William rose to stand on the spar and wrap his arm about the top of the mainmast. And they had left the jetty.

William had imagined this moment so many times, but he still could not believe he was actually seeing it. The ocean spread out before him like a vast invitation to play, to learn, to grow, to enjoy life. The water sparkled with all different shades of blue and turquoise and green, tipped with frothy foam. The mighty waves that had urged him for so many years to come to them with their quiet thunder splashed up against the walls of the jetty behind him. Behind him! William was past all the restraints and stipulations. William was free. The sea stretched to meet the horizon. The power of the ocean sent thrills through William's body. The unending blue delighted him. The possibilities were endless. The ship leaned into the wind and began cutting through the waves at a swift pace.

William looked at the crew around him and was glad to be one of them. When he had been nine, he had so often wished he was his brothers. When he had been fifteen, he had so often wished he was a sailor. But he had not expected this. This was better than anything, and the opportunity had come only because he had prepared himself for it. There were so few who actually made it here and so many who tried. There were so many who gave up and settled for the bay, for the jetty, for things they thought were good enough to be the ocean. But as William felt the wind rushing through his hair and the gentle motion of the ship upon the waves, he knew that he had been right all along, and that all his extra work and dedication had been worth this.

William quickly climbed the ranks of the Tomorrow, and within several years, he was her captain, sailing the ship up and down coasts and across oceans to bring knowledge to men, women, and children who had not had the chance to visit a sailing ship in real life. He told his story to anyone who asked, filling them with the hope that they too could live out their dreams. And William remembered, and William continued to dream. But more importantly William lived.



And that, my dear readers, is what God spoke to me as I sat looking in awe at the ocean that could be our calling. We strive for that calling in all respects. There are people who will forget what they dreamed, and there are people who will never dream that big. But there are people, and I think many of them were with me on those rocks yesterday, who will refuse to give in, give up, or forget. They know what is at stake and what will be demanded of them. They know that there will be many sacrifices and a lot of difficult work, but they also know that they are chasing heaven's dreams and that the God who placed these passions in them had no intention of letting them go wasted.

We will be dream livers and history makers and world shakers, and though it take decades of patience and persistence, we will see our visions fulfilled.

This is what I went to Morro Bay to learn. This is what I came away with. And I can only guess at when my Tomorrow will come to harbor and what she will hold for me.

--Gwenith M. Vehlow