Life offers us telltales, insightful and useful if one takes the time to observe, reflect, and use what they are saying. A Quantum Sails article on the telltales starts out with the following advice, “Whether you’re trimming or steering, your telltales have a lot to say and listening to them can improve your performance dramatically”.
Tell tales, two strips of cloth, each connected to a different side of the sail, react to the wind passing across the sail. Their message is only understood through observation and experience combined with the wisdom shared by others. The three elements need to come together.
First, things must be moving. Actions are the story’s stage. Without them, wisdom has no place and time where it can be used. Everything starts with the different in speed between the face of the sail and the wind. In my experience, actions understood in context lead to life’s equivalent of two telltales in the wind. They are indications, lessons, feedback, and insights. Each gives a platform on which one can apply wisdom.
Second, one must observe a telltale to hear the message. Yes, there is potentially the sound of the strip beating itself against the sale or flailing about in the wind. While I can imagine seasons sailors who know what the different sounds mean, for most, to hear the telltale’s message one must take the time to observe. In my experience, most of the time I cannot keep my eyes on the horizon and look at the telltales. I need to slow down, focus, and observe. In doing so, insights are created and delivered to anyone willing to listen.
Third, one must take the actions, and context, and bring in the wisdom of one’s fathers. The sailors I know are great teachers, mentors, and instructors. They are constantly sharing. Listening, seeing the telltales, and putting their wisdom to use will take us towards our ambitions.
When I apply this to God, actions, observation, and wisdom, I find myself echoing the psalm, “Thank the God of all gods, His love never quits.” (Psalm 136.2)