How the Church is Similar to Rowing
By Laurel Head
To work out more and be more involved, I row on a club team at the college I attend. I had no idea what rowing was when I started, ut I have learned so much by participating in this unique sport. For this article, I’m going to outline some points how I have seen that the church is very similar to rowing.
In a Christian’s life we have short trials and trials that we have to endure for many months and sometimes years. Some of these include friendships, trying to convert someone, jobs, families, peer pressure, temptations, and the list could go on and on. James 1:12: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.” 1 Peter 1:7: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” The idea of these verses is that no matter what happens, know that you have eternal life to look forward to after you get through any kind of trial or temptation. In a sense, rowing is similar because there are short and long races. The two main distances that are rowed are 5 kilometer pieces and 2 kilometer sprints. Even though this may not seem like anything compared to living a Christian life, rowing requires much of the same mindset that a Christian ought to have. For a 5 kilometer race, endurance is the most important aspect- endurance to finish the race, endurance to keep your strength up even when you don’t think you can, and endurance of mind to stay focused on the race and nothing else. For a 2 kilometer race, having a plan is of utmost importance. Breaking the meters down and stategizing what to do, when to do it, and how to execute those moves is the goal of a successful team. These ideas all relate to a Christian’s daily life. A Christian must endure anything that is thrown at them with their mind focused solely on Christ in order to finish their life as a strong, faithful Christian who is going to Heaven. Also, on a day to day basis, a Christian must have a plan on how to lead others to Christ, what to say if someone asks them why they believe what they believe, and they must, above all, study their Bible to know what it says about certain situations and how to confront others about sin.
In a Christian’s life we have one thing that guides us- the Bible. It directs our life because we follow what it says to do and what not to do. It also encourages and chastens us along the way in order for us to live better. Ephesians 5:11 says to reprove the works of darkness and have no fellowship with them. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” 1 Corinthians 16:13: “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” 1 Peter 5:7-10: “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” These verses of encouragement and instruction should resound strongly with us and make us want to live our lives, as Christians, to the best of our ability because God is on our side and the Bible is a light and an encouragement in dark and troubling times and can help us through the highs and lows in our lives. Similarly, in rowing there is one single person that is steering the boat and giving encouragement. The coxswain can either steer a straight path to the finish line; or they can steer it badly and end up hitting other boats or drifting into the shore. They are the ones that the rowers trust to get them safely to the end. The coxswain also gives encouragement and critiques to the crew to motivate them to row harder and to help them with technique. Even the smallest things can help the rowers do and feel better. This can be applied back to the Bible as a Christian’s guide. We trust and obey the Bible to get us to our destination- Heaven. If we don’t, we end up not finishing the race and in a place of eternal punishment.
In the church, we all have different things that we are better at doing that end up, as a whole, increasing the work of the church. Some are better at teaching kids, others are better at hospitality and greeting visitors, while others might be better at working behind the scenes and helping with the small details. While each of these talents individually might not look like much as a whole, the church is better for it because the members blend together seamlessly and more work is done to reach others and get to Heaven. Take a few moments and read 1 Corinthians 12:12-25. It perfectly explains this idea. With rowing, it might look like everybody is doing the same thing, and they basically are, but each person in a boat has different “talents”. For example, in a boat with 8 rowers, you have the stern pair, the middle four, and the bow pair. The stern pair have to be aggressive, consistent, and their technique has to be very good because everyone else is following them. The middle four are the strongest people in the boat. Their technique doesn’t have to be great, but they are the ones that really make the boat go fast. the bow pair is very similar to the stern pair in that their technique has to be good. However, they are the ones most responsible for the “set” or the balance of the boat. Even in a team sport, there are people who make the big, strong plays and there are the people who do the little things that support everyone else. Because each person is different, they are all put in a position that is beneficial to their characteristics and the team benefits greatly from it.
In conclusion, these lessons that I have learned as a rower have greatly benefitted me as a Christian. Since I have learned that I shouldn’t question my coxswain because they know what is best for the boat, I have applied that to my Christian life in that I don’t question the words and commands of the Bible as much as I used to ponder them because I know that there is a bigger picture. Since I have also learned that everything is temporary, I understand that trials and temptations eventually, will pass. Lastly, I have learned that everyone is important to the work of the church and that even though I may not be great at teaching classes or coming up with the right words for cards, I can help in serving meals, encouraging others, or cleaning up after fellowship meals.