A Higher Mentor in Seas of Careers

They were men of immense capabilities, and seasoned professionals of their era. Masters of the waters. Experts who understood the moods of the sea, its temperaments, its rhythms and its paths. Their competence was not theoretical; it was earned through dawns and dusks spent navigating the waves as fishermen.

Yet one day, on the familiar Sea of Galilee, shallow in depth but fierce in temperament, the lowest freshwater lake on earth, fed by the River Jordan and framed by the Golan Heights, the currents gathered unusual momentum. Trouble rose from a place they thought they had mastered! Yes, a place they imagined they knew and understood.

On that fateful day, the disciples, four of whom were recruited by Christ from that very same sea, suddenly saw their core capabilities stretched beyond limits. The storm was merciless. The waves disrespected experience, mocked expertise, and humbled mastery.

The men battled with every ounce of strength. They rewired their survival instincts, rebuilt their procedures on the fly, and re-engineered new playbooks in real time to confront the tempest. But nothing worked.

Then, when their strength and skill were no longer enough, they reached upward for help. “Peace, be still,” came the command, and the storm obeyed. Yes, the storm stopped!

In our careers, we take pride in our education, knowledge, and experiences. We believe they can carry us through any turbulence in the professional seas. Yet, life will always produce moments when our competencies alone are insufficient. At those points, the storms require mentors, and higher anchors, systems greater than our personal capabilities.

Today’s labour market mirrors the Sea of Galilee, unpredictable, tech-disrupted, globalized, and unforgiving. Skills remain essential, but so do alternate pathways, new networks, and supportive structures for moments when capabilities are temporarily overwhelmed, just as the fishermen were nearly submerged in the waters they had mastered. Their saving grace was simple: they were in the right company with a Higher Mentor, to guide them to safety. You need someone to guide you to a safer professional and career journey.

Invest to be in the right company because sometimes, survival is not about the skill of the sailor, but the strength of the boat and the greatness of the One you sail with.

The next praise will be better because new songs will be discovered. Have a great Sunday and anchor to a Higher Mentor in your career and life.

– Ndubuisi Ekekwe, ex-unit cell coordinator, Scripture Union Nigeria, Secondary Technical School Ovim; Sunday School teacher, All Saints Chapel, FUTO; a Bible Teacher. Ndubuisi writes business and professional career cases from Biblical stories. 

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