As one who masqueraded as Larry the Cucumber for many years, I was often asked to perform various “Silly Songs” from VeggieTales. And although I crooned “I Love My Lips” and “The Water Buffalo Song” on several occasions, the most common song request was unanimously “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.” And as I lisped through the Anthem of Apathy, the kids’ laughter would crescendo in accordance with the absurdity of the lyrics.
A few would chuckle at the confession that I “never hoisted the mainstay…or even sailed at all,” and the mere mention of “never swabbing the poopdeck” usually got the boys going. Just say “poop” in any context and most boys under the age of 8 will immediately melt into a potty humor puddle of giggles.
But the third verse goes like this, and I’m pretty sure the Richter scale could have detected the Mirthquakes of laughter that ensued after I sang:
“Well, I’ve never plucked a rooster and I’m not too good at ping pong
And I’ve never thrown my mashed potatoes up against the wall
And I’ve never kissed a chipmunk and I’ve never gotten head lice…
And I’ve never been to Boston in the Fall”
Additional admissions of “never bathing in yogurt” and “not looking good in leggings” followed, and I bet local Urgent Cares were temporarily flooded with a swath of rib injuries from excessive belly laughing!
But I think that some Christians treat being “led by the Spirit” as license for laziness as they sit around parroting the mantra, “Let Go and Let God.” Yes, God is sovereign. We are not in control, and we need to “let go” of the delusion that we are “Masters of our Fate.” And thankfully, the ultimate destination at the end of our earthly voyage is secure.
But although the Spirit is our Compass and Christ is our Captain, that doesn’t mean we ought to be Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. Sailing takes commitment, and it requires diligence to not veer off course when storms of life buffet our vessel. And if we don’t continually “swab the poopdeck,” our minds can be tainted by worldly influences. Furthermore, if we’re bathing in yogurt or anything else besides the unchanging Truth of God’s Word, we are unlikely to truly progress in our sanctification.
So let’s not let complacency hijack our joy and cloud our perspective. Instead, let’s “make every effort to supplement our faith with virtue” (2 Peter 1:5). And if we do that, we just might even make it to Boston in the Fall en route to our Heavenly destination.
