I like boats. I wouldn’t consider myself a boater…er…boatist…er…boatologist…but yeah I like boats. I’ve been on several different kinds of boats. I’ve kayaked the upper James River and canoed a couple of lakes. Though not a big fan, I went paddle boating one time. I’ve been fishing on several boats in the Chesapeake Bay. I’ve been on two cruise boats, but they’re technically called ships. I’ve also captained a few jet skis AND I even made sails for sailboats one summer and yes, I sailed (although I didn’t know what I was doing).
For some reason I like to look behind the boats I’ve been on and see the wake it leaves behind. I’m not sure why. I think it has to do with how the boat/ship/jet ski is able to “cut” through the water and change the water’s shape. It’s beautiful actually. Recently I realized that almost all wakes look the same. Have you ever noticed that? Boat, ship, canoe, barge, tug, speed, jet ski, sub, battle, frigate (I think that’s a funny word), sail, they almost all make that distinctive V shaped wake. It’s awesome how the fluid dynamics are predictably consistent when an object like a boat moves through water. So much so that every wake caused by a boat or even a water fowl (bird for you non-nature peeps) is almost always a V shape with each line at about 19 degrees. Sometimes it’s at the rear of the vessel and sometimes it’s several feet behind depending on the speed. Are you impressed with my scientific knowledge? No? Oh.
It makes me think about our lives. We all move through life and we all create a “wake” behind us. That wake is typically consistent (V shaped) with our character. If I’m a mean and nasty person, then my wake will be full of nastiness and pain. If I’m a kind and generous person, my wake will be full of joy and kindness. The aspect of my wake that really makes me stop and think is the consistency of the angle. 19 degrees. Almost always. The only person that can change the type of wake I produce is me. I also think about the fact that my wake widens as I move along. It touches more people as life progresses. That may not be the case with everyone, but it is for me and it’s something I am taking more seriously. I want my wake to bring life to others. I want my wake to matter for what really matters. I want the 19 degrees V shape that trails behind me to reflect more and more of who Jesus really is. The funny thing is that for that to happen, it has to be less my wake and more His. After all, Jesus knows more about fluid dynamics than anyone. I wonder if He left a wake on the water while He was leaving a wake on the world?
Talk about your delayed comments. Just thought I would add that boat wakes in deep water (a technical term believe it or not) ARE all the same angle (you got it right, about 19°).
Boat wakes in shallow water, on the other hand, change with the speed of the boat. As the speed increases, the angle gets narrower.
When the speed is slower than a critical speed (Square Root of gravity * depth of water) there is no wake.
You could expand on your nice analogy of above. Something like, if you rush through life, then the change you make is minimal. But if you do little or nothing at all with your life, it is as if you never existed.
Well, that’s as profound as I can get this morning!
Thanks Mark! Great insight. It’s always a bit dangerous when I venture out and use math or science to illustrate a point! LOL Thanks for sharing!