By Danny Minton

No, the title is not the Tinkerbell that comes to people’s minds when the word is mentioned. That Tinker Bell was the fairy in J.M. Barrie’s play Peter Pan. Neither was it the Tinkerbell in Walt Disney’s version of the play. The Tinkerbelle in the title was a 13.5-foot Old Town “Whitecap” wooden sailboat. Today it is on display at the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

I recently came across the story of the Tinkerbelle in an old clipping. You can also find the story in the book Tinkerbelle. It’s the story of a man named Robert Manry and his sailboat’s journey from June 1 to August 17, 1965. 

“Newspaper copy editor Robert Manry piloted the smallest ship ever to sail the Atlantic Ocean. The trip aboard the Tinkerbelle was long and difficult. He dared not sleep in the shipping lanes. The Rudder broke several times. He was washed overboard often. Finally, after 78 days, Manry approached Falmouth, England. He thought only of tying up to some dock, finding a hotel room, and getting some sleep. But an enthusiastic crowd had other ideas. A fleet of about 300 small boats came out to greet him, all blowing their horns in salute. Forty thousand well-wishers lined the docks, cheering him on. What a welcome he received.”

As I read this story, it reminded me of life. Life is sometimes a struggle for each of us. For most of us, most of the time things go smoothly. But everyone has those times when life becomes challenging. Sickness can weigh on our lives, whether it is our own or that of someone we deeply care for in our family or among our friends. Sometimes these rough times become hard to handle, and we wonder if we can go on. 

The loss of a friend or loved one can hit us hard, particularly if it is someone we are close to. Financial worries weigh us down when we struggle to make ends meet, especially when we’re trying to provide for our families. Rearing children and helping them navigate their lives, especially if there are special needs, takes a toll on our own health. Church problems, family problems, work problems, health problems, and life’s unexpected hurdles hinder our journey, but somehow, we keep moving on.

Christians face the same problems as the rest of the world, yet they have one thing that many in the world fail to realize. That assurance comes from a Savior who tells us there is rest at the end of the journey. The seas of life will not always be smooth, but the main thing we must remember is that we are not alone in the boat.

This story reminds me of the one about Jesus and his disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is sleeping when a storm arises, and the boat begins to be tossed about by the wind and waves. He is sleeping through it all when his followers wake Him up and plead, “Lord, save us, we’re going to drown.” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” 

Life will be tough at times for us all, but like Robert Manry’s story, when we reach the shores at the end, a crowd will be waiting for us. That’s what Heaven will be like: at the end of this journey through the storms of life we have all embarked on, the Savior will be waiting to welcome us home. 

Danny Minton, a member of Southern Hills Church of Christ, is a hospital chaplain