On one of Shackleton's expeditions to be the first to explore the inhospitable Antarctic from shore to shore, he selected his crew not just for their needed skills on the expedition, but, by his impressions and other things such as if they could sing or just the way they struck him when he saw them. One man he chose because he struck him as funny looking. Though his methods were unorthodox, his instincts were spot on as more than one selection proved invaluable on this trip. He once said that the four great qualities needed to be an explorer were: optimism, patience, imagination and courage.
The ship on this expedition, the Endurance, sailed off and became trapped and frozen in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea. Stuck fast in the ice - the Endurance drifted to within 30 miles of Antarctica only to drift on northward, losing any chance for her crew to fulfill their expeditionary goal. Finally, when the summer came and the ice was breaking up, the ship's hull was crushed by the very ice it was freed of. Endurance sank, but not before Shackleton evacuated the men, limited supplies and 3 lifeboats onto the ice floe. He led them for months on the shrinking icepack hunting seals and penguins to support dwindling supplies - trying to reach land.
They finally had to leave the melting ice floe in the life boats and landed on the uninhabited and remote, Elephant Island. Ten days later - having realized that no one knew where they were and the men were weakened physically and psychologically and they would likely not survive or be rescued any other way, Shackleton selected 5 men and they fitted one boat to travel the impossible 830 miles over the rough and dangerous South Ocean to the nearest group of whaling stations in South Georgia. After 17 days of punishing tortuous freezing soaking wet existence in heavy seas, force 9 winds, ice build up on the boat that they had to break off to keep it from sinking, bailing water from the rough waves, waves over 100 ft and a tidal wave that Shackleton mistook for the sky - the lifeboat, crippled and broken finally made it to South Georgia, but landed on the opposite side of the island from the whaling stations. After 36 hours of hiking over the difficult island terrain, Shackleton and 2 of his men made it to a whaling station. They picked up the other 2 men on the other side of the island and he immediately set to getting a ship to rescue his men on Elephant Island. It took a lot of coaxing to find anyone willing to back such a mission. Then, finally, after several aborted rescue missions, Shackleton, relentless in getting back to his men, was lent a tugboat by the Chilean government and nearly 4 months after they'd set off to find help, Shackleton arrived at Elephant Island. Not a single man was lost. They all returned. When asking the men how they held on to hope that they'd be rescued from Elephant Island - they said, we know our captain.
Our pastor noted how like the men under Shackleton - we can know our captain, Jesus. We can trust his character, heart and desire toward us in pulling out every stop in saving us because He already endured horrible suffering and death on the cross to do just that. The threat of and experience of impossible suffering and death did not defeat our captain. His unrestrainable life would not let death win and He gave us this unrestrainable life in place of our death, if we receive it from Him!
Unlike Shackleton's very real human limits, frailties and the real possibility of his failure - Jesus' victory over death, though his human physical and emotional suffering was very real, was not ever in question. Slain before the foundations of the earth - Jesus' victory was established and real long before it came into space and time. God's winning was never in question. What does come into question in the minds of those who love and trust Jesus is why would an infinite, perfect and all-powerful God lay aside his glorious deity and submit himself to the weak limits of human existence within his own fallen creation? What would prompt the most powerful being to suffer so? Well, He told us - He loves us. It's unbelievable to us, but true. And he proved it! His love is the kind of love that does not just sit above in lofty glory looking down in disappointment doing nothing through the failures and suffering of his creation. His love climbs down into the dirt, muck, trouble, pain, suffering, horror, into the very seat with us, hurting with our hurts, walking out our walks, climbing through our climbs - we're not in this alone - He is active with us. And He made the way for us - if we will accept - to be forever one with Him! We were never alone, but knowing He came for us, who are so small and seemingly insignificant in such a vast and complex creation, that is astonishing. He told us that He made us in His image - He cares very much for those who bear His resemblance - we're bonded/family.
We cannot begin to fathom the wonders our God has for those who love Him. We've only barely scratched the surface of knowing and have eternity to go ever deeper. Holy Spirit has been sent to dwell in all those who trust in Christ Jesus to guide, help, assist, teach, that we come fully into Christ's image. I ask Him, in navigating ever deeper in this amazing exploration - Captain my heart!
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