Sailing Into the Wind: The Life of Faith and the Art of Tacking

There’s something counterintuitive about sailing. You’d think that if you wanted to go somewhere, you’d just point the boat in that direction and let the wind carry you. But if the wind is against you, that’s impossible. Try it, and all you’ll get is a sail flapping uselessly and a boat dead in the water.

Instead, sailors have a different approach: tacking. It’s the art of zigzagging against the wind—angling first one way, then the other—so that, over time, you still make progress toward your destination. You don’t fight the wind directly; you work with it, adjusting constantly, making progress in a way that doesn’t feel direct but is, in fact, the only way forward.

It strikes me that this is exactly what life and ministry feel like. We know where we want to go—toward faithfulness, toward fruitfulness, toward the kingdom of God. But life rarely offers us a straight path. We encounter headwinds: setbacks, discouragement, unanswered prayers, opposition, exhaustion. We long for a tailwind—but more often than not, the wind is against us.

Think of Jesus’ ministry. He didn’t march straight from Nazareth to Jerusalem and declare himself King. He moved from town to town, teaching, healing, revealing the kingdom in unexpected ways. He spoke in parables, teaching truths indirectly. He encountered popularity and opposition. As we approach Easter, I note Jesus’ path must tack around the cross and the grave before glory.

Or think of Paul. His missionary journeys were full of tacking—doors opening and closing. He had a destination in mind, but how he got there was anything but straightforward. His path was marked by shipwrecks, imprisonments, and detours—but through them, the gospel spread.

So if you feel like the wind is against you or us, take heart. That doesn’t mean we’re off course. Maybe it just means it’s time to tack.