THEME INTRO: ENCOURAGEMENT

Sailors of centuries past dreaded a trip through the doldrums. The doldrums is the name of the area of ocean wrapping like a belt around the earth’s belly. Stretching from 5°N to 5°S it’s an area of low pressure, warm air and famously calm - even nonexistent - winds.

In ages past, as sailors traveled the world, word spread; ships could find themselves a prisoner here. Becoming stranded in the doldrums could mean stalling out so badly a crew would effectively be under siege. In this case, rather than being trapped inside a city by a marauding army, a crew would be imprisoned by walls of seawater stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction, with a desperate hope of even so much as a light breeze returning.

Crews who had the misfortune of becoming trapped in the doldrums experienced the calamities of running out of food, losing sanity, contracting disease and even death. To make matters worse, the area is so unpredictable, when winds do return, they can go from nothing to 100mph winds in moments. The extreme opposites both represented a kind of violence sailors wanted to get away from as quickly as possible.

Ships’ sails needed life-breathing winds to ensure sailors could reach new lands in time to replenish supplies, breathe new air, find the sanity of remembering land, and avoid starvation, disease and death. In the same way, each member of your family needs words of encouragement to fill their sails.

If encouragement is withheld, it won’t take long before you notice drifting in your family. A lulling lack of movement may take root in the hearts around you. Starving hearts begin to crave positive words and demonstrate a lack of wind in their sails. What’s more, you may see wild swings just as the equator can see sudden unpredictable winds. Ever seen behaviors that look like “acting out” and mood swings you didn’t predict? Mental health issues grow, and behaviors start showing the lack of uplifting words your family craves.

It’s important to recognize, mental health issues can be clinical. If you, your children or partner need professional help, I encourage you as strongly as I can to seek it. Aside from that, if your family is showing the strains of not hearing enough positivity from you, the next five weeks will begin a journey to breathe new life and put wind in their sails to move out of the doldrums and into beautiful new lands!