Can Your Life Have Two Rudders?

Excerpt from my book Seasons of Life available on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble

Do you feel like your life is not going in the direction you thought it would? It is possible that you are trying to steer your life in two directions at the same time.

People who are avid boaters know the importance of a rudder, when it comes to navigating the waves. A rudder is one of the smallest parts of the steering system of a sailboat or motorboat. But it is the most important part of any sailing vessel. This is because while people may be impressed by the size and power of an engine and the finish of a wood deck as it glistens in the waning sunlight of early evening, the rudder truly determines the course that the ship will go in.

There are two definitions of a rudder. The first one is from Google and defines a rudder as, “An underwater blade that is positioned at the stern of a boat or ship and controlled by its helm and that when turned causes the vessel’s head to turn in the same direction.” The second definition of a rudder, comes from Wikipedia. Wikipedia defines a rudder as the primary control or steering apparatus of a boat or ship. No matter how beautiful or ugly the boat in question is, it will not go anywhere, without a properly working rudder. If the rudder is broken or bent in some way, the course of the boat will be unstable or will not go in the direction that the captain wants it to go.

A rudder functions in several different ways. First, the rudder deflects the flow of water as the motor or engine of the boat propels the craft forward through the water. Second, the rudder is used to control the direction of the stern and by extension, the boat.

No matter how much pressure the water is exerting against the rudder, a properly functioning rudder, is able to steer the boat in the desired direction, so that the passengers can arrive at their destination safely. On some sailboats, a tiller, which is a lever attached to the rudder, is used so that the helmsman can easily turn the rudder on the boat, in the direction he wants the boat to go. Sometimes, the helmsman can feel that the sails are not set properly, by the way that the tiller responds to his touch.

In many ways, the direction of the ship of our life, can be compared to a rudder on a boat. When we want to do something or go somewhere in our life, we must make sure that what we are allowing to drive our lives, is pointed in the right direction or is not bent or damaged in some way. This means letting God become the rudder of our life and direct our course in life through prayer, bible reading and allowing his spirit to direct us.

While having a powerful motor in a boat is important, it does not matter how much horsepower you have in a boat or how much wind is in your sails, if your rudder is broken or bent. Similarly, I have met many people and had family members who had a lot of energy or drive and wanted to achieve great things or had amazing dreams. But they did not let God direct them and be the rudder guiding them through life. Because they allowed things that were not helpful to them or their family, to steer them and did not set their rudder in God’s control, they did not achieve what they wanted and caused problems for their family.

Some people might wonder if a boat or the ship of your life, can have two rudders. Since the rudder is the part of the ship that directs its course, this question could also be interpreted as, “Can you have two things controlling the direction of your life?”

When you look up the question, “can a ship have two rudders?”, you are presented with a variety of web results. According to the article, “When are two rudders necessary?” On boatdesign.net’s blog and question section, one user suggests that while a powerboat can have two rudders installed, they generally cannot work together at the same time. One is usually designed differently than the other one and both are usually not used at the same time to steer the boat.

This has a lot of important life applications. One application is that since a rudder steers our life according to the principles, desires and goals we follow, we cannot be guided by conflicting desires or principles. Just as only one rudder can steer a ship, only one set of values and guidelines can steer our life at any given time and only one set of values and beliefs can determine the course of our life. If we try to steer parts of our life according to our desires and goals, and other parts by God’s desires and will, we will find ourselves frustrated and unable to make progress in our life. This would be similar to trying to steer a boat that has two rudders, when each one is pointing in opposite directions. The boat’s course through the water, would not be stable and the helmsman would not be able to steer the boat. The helmsman would have to choose what rudder he would use, to determine the direction he was going to travel in.

We must also decide what rudder we will use to determine the course of our life. Will we use God’s plan and will for our life or our own will and plans apart from his input? The choice is ours to make and will determine the course and degree of success that our life is filled with. In Ephesians 4:14 (KJV), Paul tells us to not be tossed about by different winds of doctrine. “Be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” While he was referring to spiritual teachings, the principle applies to the way we live our life. If we allow the ship of our life or our relationships, to be erratically steered by the rudder of our will, feelings and desires or blown about by every wind of interest that fills our sails, we will not only have a very bumpy ride in life, but we are also in danger of becoming shipwrecked in various areas of our life. Experienced sailors know that in order to avoid capsizing their boat, they must have good nautical skills, experience and keep all parts of their ship and rigging in good condition. In a similar way, we must have our life and our rudder set on God and his will for our life, instead of allowing ourselves to be blown about or steered in the wrong direction, because the rudder of our life is set on the wrong course or because we are trying to steer our life in one direction, while God is trying to steer it in another.

Learn how to deal with the seasons of your life in my book Seasons of Life on Amazon.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09R52F5TX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i7

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seasons-of-life-j-e-nickerson/1143129424?ean=2940185896556

Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seasons-of-life-j-e-nickerson/1143129424?ean=9798369243114

AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/seasons-of-life/id1606926262