Proverbs 16:25 

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

A cadet is the lowest form of human life on a Merchant ship. Chief officers love cadets because they can give them the jobs that no one else wants to do. And that is how I came to find myself with needle and sewing palm, tasked with repairing the canvas covers to the lifeboats on one old ship.

It was my second trip to sea. The other cadet was on his first trip. He still held the opinion that he knew better than those who had been around much longer than he had. Somehow he persuaded me that instead of laboriously using sail twine to sew patches of canvas onto the lifeboat cover we could glue them. We weren’t visible to anyone because we were working in the fo’c’sle, so by gluing patches onto the covers we were soon finished. That freed time to lounge around, have a smoke, have a brew, and idle the time away.

I don’t remember details of the punishment inflicted on us by the chief officer. I know that we had to continue stitching rather than sticking patches onto the covers in our free time. The way that seemed right to us did not result in death, but it is never pleasant being on the receiving end of a chief officer’s anger, especially when you are a cadet. While lifeboat covers may seem fairly insignificant the purpose of the covers was to protect the boats that we might have to use to escape from a sinking ship. It was necessary to ensure that the boats were well maintained and kept ready for such an event. Thankfully I have never had to use a lifeboat, but I have been involved in the rescue of two yachtsmen whose liferaft failed to inflate bringing them close to the point where failure to maintain emergency equipment very nearly cost them their lives.

Our world is full of people who think that they know best. Unfortunately, most of us think we know better than God. He gives us the freedom to choose. The choice is simple: Follow God or follow men. Choose life or choose death.

Proverbs 16:25 

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

A cadet is the lowest form of human life on a Merchant ship. Chief officers love cadets because they can give them the jobs that no one else wants to do. And that is how I came to find myself with needle and sewing palm, tasked with repairing the canvas covers to the lifeboats on one old ship.

It was my second trip to sea. The other cadet was on his first trip. He still held the opinion that he knew better than those who had been around much longer than he had. Somehow he persuaded me that instead of laboriously using sail twine to sew patches of canvas onto the lifeboat cover we could glue them. We weren’t visible to anyone because we were working in the fo’c’sle, so by gluing patches onto the covers we were soon finished. That freed time to lounge around, have a smoke, have a brew, and idle the time away.

I don’t remember details of the punishment inflicted on us by the chief officer. I know that we had to continue stitching rather than sticking patches onto the covers in our free time. The way that seemed right to us did not result in death, but it is never pleasant being on the receiving end of a chief officer’s anger, especially when you are a cadet. While lifeboat covers may seem fairly insignificant the purpose of the covers was to protect the boats that we might have to use to escape from a sinking ship. It was necessary to ensure that the boats were well maintained and kept ready for such an event. Thankfully I have never had to use a lifeboat, but I have been involved in the rescue of two yachtsmen whose liferaft failed to inflate bringing them close to the point where failure to maintain emergency equipment very nearly cost them their lives.

Our world is full of people who think that they know best. Unfortunately, most of us think we know better than God. He gives us the freedom to choose. The choice is simple: Follow God or follow men. Choose life or choose death.

Proverbs 16:25 

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

A cadet is the lowest form of human life on a Merchant ship. Chief officers love cadets because they can give them the jobs that no one else wants to do. And that is how I came to find myself with needle and sewing palm, tasked with repairing the canvas covers to the lifeboats on one old ship. It was my second trip to sea. The other cadet was on his first trip. He still held the opinion that he knew better than those who had been around much longer than he had. Somehow he persuaded me that instead of laboriously using sail twine to sew patches of canvas onto the lifeboat cover we could glue them. We weren’t visible to anyone because we were working in the fo’c’sle, so by gluing patches onto the covers we were soon finished. That freed time to lounge around, have a smoke, have a brew, and idle the time away.

I don’t remember details of the punishment inflicted on us by the chief officer. I know that we had to continue stitching rather than sticking patches onto the covers in our free time. The way that seemed right to us did not result in death, but it is never pleasant being on the receiving end of a chief officer’s anger, especially when you are a cadet. While lifeboat covers may seem fairly insignificant the purpose of the covers was to protect the boats that we might have to use to escape from a sinking ship. It was necessary to ensure that the boats were well maintained and kept ready for such an event. Thankfully I have never had to use a lifeboat, but I have been involved in the rescue of two yachtsmen whose liferaft failed to inflate bringing them close to the point where failure to maintain emergency equipment very nearly cost them their lives.

Our world is full of people who think that they know best. Unfortunately, most of us think we know better than God. He gives us the freedom to choose. The choice is simple: Follow God or follow men. Choose life or choose death.