Don’t give up the ship

This story will be known to many of our Shelburne County readers, but likely not to those in Yarmouth or Digby counties or beyond.

My grandmother’s great-uncles, Robert and Alexander Dall, sailed vessels from Lockeport to the West Indies in the late 1800s, when this was a well used shipping route.

On one such trip in 1878, their vessel, the Blue Jacket, was sailing along with another vessel, the Walloon. In the dying days of that year, the vessels encountered a storm at sea, and neither were heard from again. The Blue Jacket was listing, missing many of her sails, and by one account there may have been a fire in the galley. At some point the captain gave the command to abandon ship and it is thought they tried to make their way to another vessel. One report suggested they tried to make it to a large three-masted schooner sailing from Yarmouth, though I’ve been as of yet unable to prove this.

Here is where the story starts to get interesting. A few days later, another Lockeport vessel, the Jennie Hammond, ran across the remains of the Blue Jacket, still afloat. If the captain and crew had only remained on their own vessel, they may have survived and been rescued.

How many times do we give up on things too soon? Too easily? Yes, sometimes there are things in our lives which do deserve to be given up on, of course. But there are others that should never be given up on at all.

Don’t give up on God, for one. He brings life out of death, joy for mourning, and can make the impossible possible. Whatever is taking place in your life today, hold on to Him, never let Him go. If circumstances ever feel too overwhelming to hold on, then let go and realize that it is He who is holding on to you.

As well, don’t give up on yourself. No matter how bad or extreme a situation may seem, if we belong to Jesus, we are protected by His loving care. Whatever battle we may be facing, the battle is His battle, and it is only by His strength and power that we will overcome.

I don’t know if remaining on the vessel would have caused the crew to be saved, but I do know that it is our own best option when we are in similar situations. Don’t give up the ship!