Perseverance

On June 1st, 1965, a four metre boat slipped quietly out of Falmouth. Massachusetts. Its destination? Falmouth, England. It would be the smallest craft to ever make the voyage. Its name? Tinkerbelle. Its pilot? Robert Manry, a copy editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper who felt that ten years at a desk was enough boredom for anyone. Manry was afraid, not of the ocean, but of all the people who would try to talk him out of the trip. So he only shared it with some relatives & his wife Virginia, his greatest source of support.

The trip? He spent harrowing nights of sleeplessness trying to cross shipping lanes without getting run over. Weeks at sea caused his food to become tasteless. Loneliness led to hallucinations. His rudder broke three times. Storms swept him overboard. Had it not been for a rope around his waste he would never have been able to pull himself back on board.

Finally, after 78 days alone at sea he sailed into Falmouth, England. During those nights at the tiller he had fantasized about what he would do once he arrived. He expected to simply check into a hotel, eat dinner alone, then next morning see if the Associated Press might be interested in his story.

What a surprise! Word had spread far & wide. To his amazement, 300 vessels with horns blasting Tinkerbelle into port. And, 47,000 people stood screaming & cheering him to shore.

One of the great themes of Scripture is perseverance. No matter how great your calling, your talent, your cause or your goal, without perseverance you will not make it. Hence James writes, “Blessed is the man who perseveres” James 1:12