The Ship In a Bottle
One of the things I liked best about visiting my Danish Great Aunt and Uncle, as a child, was being able to look at all of their interesting little knick-knacks on the shelves.
But my favorite of their knick-knacks also puzzled me. It was an intricately built ship with beautiful full sails, nestled in a narrow-necked bottle. I was entranced and remember wishing I could step inside and stand on the deck of the ship. When I asked how the ship got into the bottle, I was told that it was a secret. So, it remained a mystery to me for many years.
Later I learned that my Great Uncle, who had come from Denmark as a young man, had made many of these ships and sold them to pay his way to America. But it wasn’t until recent years that I learned the trick to fitting the ships into the bottles.
A few years ago, on PBS, I happened across a program that demonstrated the secret. After the narrow ship is crafted, the sails are made and attached to the body of the ship with small hinges that allow the sails to lie down. With the sails down, a small thread is tied to the mast. The ship will narrowly fit inside the neck of the bottle with the mast and sails lowered. Then the ships base is glued to the inside of the bottle to secure it. After the glue dries the mast and the sails are pulled up by the thread and snap into place. Voila! A ship in a bottle is born! The entire process was really quite simple and straightforward, and not nearly as complicated and mystical as I had thought as a child.
Perhaps the process of fitting ourselves into God’s kingdom is just as straightforward, if we will just do it. When we humble ourselves and lie down our pride and sinful natures, the Lord can carefully and securely fit us into His Kingdom. Once we do this we will once again be able to raise our billowing sails, but this time in praise to God.
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