The Words of the Schultz Family
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The Words of the Schultz Family |
For me, the ocean has been a place to learn many new things about myself. Personal experiences on the ocean have brought me to a very real and intimate understanding of Father's heart and tradition.
To go out on the ocean, you first of all have to put yourself into a small world -- a boat about 28 feet by 8 feet. Then, there you are, floating on top of a vast, watery entity; and your life depends on how well you've taken care of your boat, your engine, and the crew with whom you share this small world.
Many times Father said that you have to love your engine more than you love your spouse. When you're out at sea, you can see why. You may love your husband or wife quite deeply, but if your engine fails you may not see each other again. You must prepare to go out to sea with at least as much care as you have for your spouse.
When you start to practice such conscientiousness every day, you begin to realize the value of things. Your boat is like your home, and you learn how to take care of your "home" in every detail. Your life may depend on having everything neatly in place and knowing exactly where everything is. For example, you may have only a few seconds to get out a flare gun and notify another boat passing in the fog that you're in trouble.
The same principles can be applied everywhere, whether you are concerned with one thing or a whole inventory of things. If you expand your thinking in this area, you begin to realize that taking care of a boat is excellent training for taking care of the world.
Even more important than your relationship with your boat is your relationship with your crew members. Once you are out on the ocean, you cannot deal with problems by walking out the back door. There is no such thing on a boat: You have to make the relationships work. Sometimes it happens that you cannot even bear to look at each other because you've spent so much time together. At such times you have to find a way to break through to a higher level.
This can only be done by bringing Heavenly Father onto the boat. When two or three people can remain centered on God, their relationships can develop in a healthy way. Somehow, with God in the middle of everything, there is room enough for everyone. It is very much like a marriage. The captain has to develop patience, and the crew has to become sensitive to the guidance and direction of the captain. When this balance is worked out, a beautiful harmony emerges and quite often successful fishing comes as a result.
Many well-to-do people own nice vessels and go out for pleasure cruises on their free weekends. However, this is not at all the reality for commercial fishermen. We fish long, hard hours when we go to Gloucester for the tuna season. Even so, we usually fish during the better weather of the year, so most brothers and sisters have yet to taste the real "salt spirit" of the old sea captains.
However, we try to keep the standard of Father's tradition, especially in the area of spiritual life and daily discipline. For the most part, our boats are the first ones out on the tuna grounds and the last ones to leave. Also, during the day we don't sleep but seriously try to fish and keep a good atmosphere on the boats.
Often, commercial fishermen just think of "going for the tuna" -- for the money and the sport of it. Yet this lessens the real value of the tuna. The tuna can be called the "king" of the sea. It is a strong and beautiful fish, and by the time it reaches the size of 700 or 800 pounds it has lived longer than most of the people fishing for it. The ocean is no easy place to survive; it has many dangerous predators. You have to respect such an intelligent fish.
Father's method stresses safety first because this fish is so powerful. If we are careless we can endanger our lives. Our fleet has an impressive record of only one accident in over 11 years of intensive fishing. Such a record is kept by maintaining a prayerful attitude, clear unity between members, a clean boat, and constant attention to the quality of the gear. And beyond all of that, we must have patience and faith.
For the future Father envisions using the tuna to feed large populations. Research is now being done on how to farm large numbers of young tunas so that more can be fished out of the oceans. (Tunas roam great distances all over the world.) Many other kinds of fish can be farmed as well, and this is also part of Father's plan.
Father has spent a great deal of time out on the ocean, beginning first in Korea and then continuing for more than 10 seasons in America. The ocean plays a large part in his vision for the future world. Most importantly, however, Father has uncovered a way for us to develop a fresh and dynamic relationship with God through the ocean.
When you go out on the ocean, you learn how to have a constant attitude of faith in all kinds of situations. The ocean is always beautiful, but not always nice. Sometimes you are out there in bad weather; you don't feel very strong then, and you may even think about giving up. At other times, you may be out in the fog and need the help of the other boats in order to keep going in the right direction. In this way, you discover the power of unity, and why a unified spirit is so important in our daily life of faith.
The crews that get the best results are invariably the ones that look out for the other boats the most and the ones that follow Father's tradition the closest, using his methods and keeping his standards. On the boat it becomes clear to us that spiritual principles are also practical principles. Not only do we have deep encounters with Heavenly Father through the ocean, but we also learn principles that are valuable for our lives in every situation. This is why we often say that the ocean is both our classroom and our cathedral.
On the ocean I experienced many changes in the attitudes that I had towards life in general. In the time that I had to reflect, I could find deeper meaning in the past events of my life, and I could think about the areas in which I still had conflicts and was unsure of myself. Through this I could gain a sense of direction about my future and even about God's vision for mankind. I could find myself in harmony with the creation and thus see myself more from God's point of view.
I believe this is the experience that Father wants all of us to have. It is one reason why, in so many speeches, he has encouraged members, and especially the leaders, to spend at least two weeks every year on the ocean. It will not only toughen your spirit; it will provide you with time to reflect and plan more deeply for the accomplishment of your mission.
I am always grateful to share my experiences. However, my hope is to share them with you on my coat, out on the ocean. That is how Father shared with us, and so it becomes my privilege to share in the same way, for the sake of our members, as well as for the sake of the American people. Bring yourself, and bring your ministers and guests. The ocean is waiting.