If there’s one thing about being in a relationship, it’s that it opens up your horizon to topics and ideas that would have otherwise never crossed your radar.
It’s such a cool part of dating that I wish I would have known about sooner! Reggaeton music, sneakerhead culture, Filipino food/traditions/movies, luxury street wear, whiskey culture — and now I can add to the list: shipping.
Yes, shipping: as in…transferring goods from one part of the world to the other.
And yes – I know this is wayyyyy out of left field for this little ol’ blog, but I promise it’ll come to full circle. #trust
You see, Steven is very well versed in the business/tech world, and one of the major headlines right now among business people is that there is a HUGE delay in shipping from Asia ever since the pandemic. The cost to ship goods from China to California has increased 8-fold since 2019, with prices now costing $20,000 per container.
And thanks to labor shortages, there’s a massive bottleneck delay in our California ports: with 90 ships and more than 500,000 shipping containers floating at sea, waiting sometimes up to a month, for a shipping dock to open up.
There’s a shortage of workers, shortage of truck drivers, shortage of warehouse space, and due to Covid, the ports are only operating at 60% capacity.
Which, for the “non-business-folk, like myself” — that translates to: there will most probably be a toy shortage at Christmas.
But isn’t that just wild? All those ships, just waiting out in the shipyard to come in. It’s eerie, to be honest.
And I can only imagine the intense stress and pressure this has caused people who work in industries that are impacted by this massive holdup.
Steven and I talked about that over dinner on Sunday night. And as I was biking home that evening, I couldn’t help but think about those ships, as I was peddling along the river in New York, where I will often see barges and other freight ships pass through.
And I thought to myself, that I personally have had so many “bottleneck blockages” that have hindered my relationship with God.
SO many seasons of life that have delayed that total and complete union with the Father. Seasons where I’ve just been waiting out at sea, unable to unload my cargo because of pride; or shame over my past; or believing that I’m unworthy of forgiveness; or believing that because of the terrible things I’ve done, that I am disqualified from – not only His love, but love from anyone.
These were massive, monumental holdups that kept me from living the life of abundance that Jesus was longing for me to embrace.
That’s one of the most terrible things about shame: the enemy uses it to accuse us repeatedly — over and over — reminding us of things we’ve already been forgiven and redeemed of.
The shame and resulting guilt from my anorexia — it cast a shadow over my entire existence for years after I adopted recovery. I let those oppressive thoughts impact my romantic relationships, my self-talk, and most importantly: my relationship with God.
Though I knew and believed that I was forgiven and freed and redeemed for the destructive past with my eating disorder, I was holding on to the shame, the guilt, the feeling of unworthiness. I refused to surrender those things to Him, and do, perhaps the hardest thing yet: forgive myself.
It was only until I handed all of that baggage — those shipping containers, if you will — over to Christ, saying “Here, Lord: I’m exhausted from carrying those around for all these years. I’m tired of listening to the enemy berate me with thoughts of condemnation and disgrace.”
Jesus freed me, and through the support and reinforcement from some very key relationships in my life, I now can fully say that I have claimed that life of freedom and joy and love that God wanted all along for me. And for you.
So. That completely random and roundabout way of getting here, is to simply invite you to join me in examining where in your life there may still be a blockage, — something that you’re holding on to — that’s keeping you from your most full, most beautiful, most overwhelming relationship with our Creator.
Becuase though that one particular roadblock of mine has been resolved, I can still name about 5 or 6 other areas of life that need attention. Namely: vanity, being judgmental at times, giving into gossip. I could really air some dirty laundry here, but I’ll leave that for another day.
Thank you for reading, and may God bless your week!
*And on another note, I would be super curious to learn what topics or ideas that your significant other has broadened your horizon to!
“This is what the Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.” Ez 37:5
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57 responses to “Stuck in the Shipyard”
Amen, Caralyn! I needed to hear this! I’ve been getting attacked a lot with shame, guilt, and condemnation. I am so thankful for the Lord’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness! God bless you!
Thank you Ryan! I’m so glad this struck a chord with you. I’m sorry you’ve been going through that. Amen – May His love and mercy and forgiveness cover you 💛 Hugs and love xox
[…] Stuck in the Shipyard […]
Thank you Tonya for the link up! Hugs and love xox
Yeah, the enemy always has an old stick to beat you with. That and lieing are his stock in trade. A couple of weeks ago, I finally…at last…told the Lord that I was done with carrying my disappointments around like old nasty luggage. I let them go to Jesus. He wasn’t surprised by any of it. I was surprised at how much lighter I felt.
You’re so right about that, HJ. He is the accuser and the liar of all liars. Oh that is so amazing – I am so happy for you my friend. Praise God!!! Thanks for sharing that joy. Hugs and love xox
Amen, Caralyn. I have several blockages…
Thanks John – praying for you my friend. It’s a scary thing to surrender, but the most rewarding thing in the world. Sending lots of love and hugs xox
Thank you my friend. 🙏🏻❤️
absolutely 🙂
Caralyn, you hit the nail on the head! Blockages in my life is what the Lord is having me tear down and no longer hide behind them. Full surrender and taking full responsibility for not holding on to my pet sins! Thank you for bringing it up. Love and hugs!
Thank you so much friend. You’re so right – they can definitely be used to hide behind. But Jesus invites us into the light, into the open. Yes! Amen!! So glad you can relate! Hugs and love xox
You’re welcome! xoxo
xoxoox 🙂
Accuse. If I recall correctly, Satan’s name means The Accuser. I believe that he will be there on the final judgement day, stepping up and making his accurate accusation about each of us as we approach Jesus’ throne. For at least some of us, he’ll leave out the detail that we’ve been redeemed by Jesus, who will wave for silence and declare those who are His to indeed be His.
Despite how long we are left floating in sin here on earth, we can be confident that on that final, awe-filled day, our ships will truly come in!
Yes, Jeff. The accuser and the liar of all liars. That is such an important detail – THE MOST important detail: we’ve been made new. And what an amazing truth that is, one that Satan’s lies can’t stand against. Yes!! Bring ‘em in! Thanks so much Jeff for stopping by and sharing these pearls of wisdom 🙂 hope your week is off to a great start! Hugs and love xox
My pastor presented this in his sermon yesterday.
There is always an element of obedience in repentence. Don’t just confess your sins, abandon them. Dr. Kerry L. Skinner, a friend of my pastor, said “confession is common, repentence is rare.”
My pastor gave us these steps to repentence:
Admit to God your wrong.
Have Godly sorrow. Are you truly sorry for your sin?
Ask God for forgiveness.
Ask God for cleansing. Cleansing means purify and restore, a deep spiritual cleaning. God decides what is sin, not us.
Ask God for empowerment. He ALWAYS has what you need, and He has always had it!
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
oh wow, Myron, that is one powerful quote, my goodness. thank you for sharing that! You’re so right – He forgives and cleanses us and makes us new! what a blessing. it is our job just to humbly and joyfully receive that. Hugs and love xox
Excellent illustration 🙂
Thank you so much Ian! Hope you’re having a great night!! Hugs and love xox
Well said! Great analogy!
Thank you so much Kara! I appreciate you stopping by!Hugs and love xox
Shame is Satan’s signature…he just loves to dig up old stuff that was forgiven a looong time ago! I so love that line in the hymn, “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” where Jesus “breaks the power of canceled sin!” Great promise from Him! Great encouragement from you, too!
you’re right about that – his signature. he’s the liar of all liars. How blessed are we that Jesus already overcame the world!! thank you for stopping by! Hugs and love xox
Y’all look great! So happy!
thank you so much Eleanor! oh my gosh I’ve never been happier! 🙂 Hugs and love xox
My heart is glad and cheerful to hear that! XOXO, Eleanor 😉
xoxo 🙂
I love the analogy! I, too, tend to seek out patterns in this world of ours and turn them around to see how they might apply to my own little world, so I really connected to this post.
Being secular-minded, as I read this my takeaway shaped up to be to get out of my own way and be accountable for my actions and the footprint I leave in this world. You know accountability is the tough one, regardless of whether it’s to a higher power, ourselves or just our neighbors, we struggle toward owning our actions.
Thank you Galby! I’m so glad this resonated with you! You’re right – owning our actions is a difficult task indeed Accountability is an exercise in humility for sure! Hugs and love xox
Thanks for this inspirational post, Caralyn. You used the analogy brilliantly.
Thank you so much Jan! I’m so glad this resonated with you! An unusual way to get to a familiar point! haha Hugs and love xox
A good metaphor! God bless you, Caralyn. xx
Thank you so much Penny! It’s always curious to see where inspiration will strike next! haha Same to you, my friend. God bless! have a wonderful weekend! Hugs and love xox
this touches me today… I hadn’t named it as shame, but I’ve been under a cloud of doubt and inadequacy, feeling life is too much to handle on my own now that my love has passed. But truth be, with God, I AM handling all that comes my way. Thank you for this encouragement today.
Hi Donna, thank you so much for sharing your heart on this. Gosh, I am so sorry for your loss. Know that I am praying for you and keeping you close in my heart during this difficult time. Amen – God is right there with you, sustaining you and loving you through the storm. Sending so much love and hugs xox
Right now, I’m looking at hoarding, my wife’s and my own, and how it affects how we live. I will compulsively buy books, I have every intention of reading, but more likely I won’t read. It’s about validating to myself that I’m not stupid. The cost is that my world shrinks. I’ve consciously hidden in the clutter, books on interests I genuinely want to pursue. So I’m filling the container while simultaneously living in it, “sort of” living in it.
Hi David, thank you for sharing your heart. That is profoundly insightful, and I think you’re on the path to a solution, which is so encouraging. I can definitely relate to letting something affect how we live, and how devastating that can be. Know that I’m praying for you as you navigate this season! sending so much love and hugs xox
Thanks. You’re like family, ya know?
aw, shucks. Thanks David <3
😊 I’m waiting for some blinds to arrive at one of our local Lowe’s, and the stores all figure they’re in one of those containers off the coast of California! So if you can tell them to move along, it would help me “unblock some blockage!”
As for what my Anita has helped me with, I don’t know if the length of list would be allowed on WP!
Most of all, the big item is to allow the Holy Spirit to calm me in my driving; to recognize the “idiots” on the road (other then ME) are loved by our Lord and my attitude towards them was NOT glorifying to Jesus. 😌 I finally learned to pray EVERY time I get behind the wheel that Father would use me ONLY by example to show other drivers how to drive, and to let Him take His time to teach them.
Oh yes – I’m seeing it impact some of my daily items too!! I’m sorry about that! I hope they arrive soon! until then, it looks like its indoor sunglasses living 😉 Oh wow – I love that – to let the Holy Spirit take the wheel. What a powerful truth! Yes! Prayer changes things, and I’m so glad you’ve found that in practice! sending so much love and hugs xox
A beautiful post thank you so much Caralyn you so beautiful
thank you friend. Hugs and love xox
Your timing is uncanny. Lately I’ve been struggling with doubt that a holy, righteous God could possibly love me, a man who lets Him down so often. The Bible assures me that He does, indeed, love me enough to die for but sometimes my own sinful nature overwhelms me. God bless.
Hi Rollie, thank you for sharing your heart. Oh friend, I have *been*there*. Oh my gosh, I wrestled with those demons telling me otherwise, but you’ve said the truth yourself right here: HE DOES!! Enough to literally die for. Know that I’m praying for you, my friend. Sending love and hugs xox
I took a serious hiatus from internet and social media but I’m glad to be back! I know it will be fun to catch up on your blog.
My significant other has shared some incredible music with me. And some fantastic mental health and sobriety resources. Best of all, he made me really love my recovery! I’m grateful.
Hi friend, oh I’m so glad you’re back! I hope you enjoyed your hiatus! that sounds absolutely fabulous if i do say so myself! haha Oh that’s awesome! It really is amazing how God brings people into our lives that bring the world into crystal clear, 20/20 focus. I’m so happy for you friend! Glad you stopped by! have a wonderful weekend! Hugs and love xox
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Thank you!
thank you so much Candy! Hugs and love xox
What a great thing to do…
Blockages? I think *faith* – stepping out, and risk. (Which has probably been more complicated since 2020…) And *prayer*…
Oh, and broadened horizons? … single, but I have learned some more about medicine 🧐🤓
thank you David for sharing your thoughts. Hugs and love xox
Once again thank you for your transparency.
thank you Ivan, I appreciate your support. Hugs and love xox
As Ivan mentioned above, thank you for being transparent. I appreciate your openness. Forgiving oneself, especially when trauma has happened, is the hardest thing ever. I don’t think I’m there yet, ready to forgive myself. I’m still holding on to shame and regret and self-hatred: may Yahweh help me, deliver me. Thank you for this post. I needed it.
Thank you Rulonda, I appreciate your support and kind words. You’re right : forgiving yourself is the hardest thing. I’ll be praying for you! He is our ultimate deliverer!! Hugs and love xox
Great post. Thanks for sharing.