Lifeboats: A Book for Those Who Have Waited for a Miracle

Book Summary

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Are you lost in the stormy sea of life, waiting for a miracle? 🌊 Do you feel alone and that there is no way to be saved? This video is for you! In this video, we review the book “Lifeboats: A Book for Those Who Have Waited for a Miracle.” This book tells the story of a man who, waiting for a great miracle, ignored the small lifeboats and drowned. But behind this story, a great truth is hidden: God’s hands are always in our lives, sometimes in the form of a friend, sometimes in the guise of an opportunity, and sometimes even in the heart of a failure. This book shows you how to free yourself from the illusion of passive trust and, by accepting responsibility, become the creator of your own life. If you are looking for life change, inner awakening, and finding your true path, do not miss this video. To have a purposeful and peaceful life, join us and get to know this book.

Written by Vahid Zekavati

Copyright: NLP Radio

Introduction:

One day, a very devout man found himself stranded in the middle of the sea. With a bright and hopeful heart, he had no doubt that God would save him. After a while, a fishing boat approached and offered to help, but he said, “No, I am waiting for my Lord to save me.” After some time, another boat came near, but he again refused the help, saying, “My Lord will save me.” In short, he rejected all help and eventually was caught in a storm and died. His soul began to complain in the other world, saying, “I was a good servant to my Lord my entire life, yet He did not even save me.” At that moment, a voice from the sky said, “Did I not send my servants to save you many times? You yourself rejected the help.” This story is the tale of many of us. We wait for a miracle, while we push away the lifeboats with our own hands. This book is a journey to recognize the lifeboats in our lives; boats that approach us every day, but perhaps we are unaware of them.

Chapter One: Is Trusting God a Passive Act?

Why do we often raise our hands to the sky in our toughest moments and only wait for a miracle? Why do we sometimes think that to solve our problems, it’s enough to just have faith and do nothing? This is a question that lingered in my own mind for a long time, especially during moments when I was searching for life’s deeper answers and saw that many of my friends and acquaintances, despite their heartfelt faith, were not taking any steps in their lives and were just waiting for an unforeseen event. This way of thinking turns trust into a passive wait, a wait in which a person does not see themselves as having any role and places all the responsibility on fate and God. In my own life, I have seen many times how this waiting destroys opportunities and keeps a person stuck right where they are.

This incomplete view of trust is like buying a plane ticket for a trip but never going to the airport and expecting the plane to come to you. This kind of trust is one in which faith and action are separated, and this separation is the biggest obstacle to achieving goals and inner peace. In the story of the man who drowned, this is exactly what happened; instead of using the lifeboats as a divine gift, he pushed them away, believing that God would save him directly and without any intermediary. This belief is rooted in a misunderstanding of the laws of existence, the laws that God has set for the flow of life.

True trust is an action, not a stillness. True trust means that you believe in God with all your being, but at the same time, you use all your effort. This belief gives us the power not to despair in the toughest conditions and to continue our path with all our might. True trust is like planting a seed, watering it, and trusting God for it to grow. You do not stop your effort, but you have faith in the growth of that seed. This faith gives us the power to move forward, not to wait for the movement to come to us.

Many of us, when faced with a big problem, only pray, but we forget that prayer is only part of the story. The other part is our effort and action. The lifeboats in the story were God’s answer to the man’s prayer, but he ignored this answer. He was waiting for God to answer him in another way, while the answer had already been given to him. This is a mistake many people make, and after a while, they feel that their prayers are ineffective, while the problem lies in their view of God’s answers.

This kind of passive trust removes a person from the circle of action. When we believe that we should just wait, we lose the motivation to grow and change. We stay where we are and ignore the opportunities that life gives us. Over time, this passive state turns into a vicious cycle; the more we wait, the less we achieve, and the less we achieve, the more we believe that effort is pointless. This cycle leads us toward despair and makes us a surrendered person, a person who has no control over their own destiny.

In contrast, active trust guides a person toward growth and responsibility. When you trust God but at the same time use all your effort, you feel that you have a role in building your own life. This feeling gives you the power to stand against problems and look for solutions instead of drowning in despair. This kind of trust turns a person into an active partner in the journey of life. You know that God supports you, but this support does not mean that He will do things for you, but rather that He provides the tools and opportunities for you.

In fact, true trust itself becomes an inner action. When you believe that God wants the best for you, you take a step forward with courage and without fear. This courage is an action in itself. This inner action drives you toward external actions, actions that change your life. Therefore, true trust not only does not make a person passive but also gives them extra motivation and power to try. This is what the man in the story was unaware of, and for this reason, he complained to God at the last moment.

He did not realize that his salvation was in the very boats he had turned away from. We do this many times as well. Maybe a job opportunity comes our way, and we reject it out of fear of failure and say that if we are meant to succeed, God will show us the way. Or maybe someone offers us help, and we do not accept it out of pride and wait for a miracle to arrive. These lifeboats appear in our lives every day, and it is up to us to open our eyes and see them.

Passive trust pushes a person toward being a victim. When we think that life proceeds only by God’s will and we have no role, we actually turn ourselves into a victim; a victim of circumstances, a victim of destiny, and a victim of events. This mindset takes all power and control from us and turns us into a weak and helpless being. But true trust gives us the power to step out of the victim role and instead accept the role of the hero of our own life.

In the end, we must remember that God is the creator of the laws, not the violator of them. He has created the world based on cause and effect and expects us to follow these laws as well. Trusting God does not mean ignoring these laws but rather using them correctly and having faith in the power of their Creator. Therefore, from now on, let us recognize our lifeboats alongside our trust in God and use them to reach the shore of peace.

Chapter Two: Do Angels of Salvation Only Come From the Sky?

Have you ever thought that perhaps that unexpected phone call, that chance meeting, or even that job offer that seemed strange to you, were all signs from the universe? This question was repeated many times in my life, especially during the days when I was in the US searching for a new professional and personal path. During that time, I would ask myself why I always had to look for a big, divine miracle to find a solution, while my surroundings were full of small opportunities that were hidden from my sight. Like many of us, I expected to hear a heavenly voice, but the voice I heard was from a friend who suggested that I work on a small project, but one that aligned with my goals. That day I understood that God always extends His hands to us in the form of earthly angels, events, and even obstacles, but we are often so busy searching for big miracles that we fail to see them.

This perspective leads us toward a deeper understanding of our connection with the world. When we learn that God’s hands are in people’s hands, we no longer wait for a miracle to save us, but we start to see and accept the opportunities that are offered to us through people and different situations. This means that we take responsibility and, instead of remaining in a passive state, we actively engage with every opportunity that comes our way. This view helps us to stop waiting and to look for solutions in a world that God has created full of tools and intermediaries. These tools can be an old friend, a colleague, an inspiring book, or even a great failure that guides us to the right path.

Understanding that God helps us through others takes away our pride. The man in our story had pride and selfishness, because he thought God should perform a miracle directly and only for him. He did not accept that divine help could reach him through a simple fishing boat. This pride prevented him from accepting help from others. We too sometimes, due to pride, think that we do not need others’ help and that we can solve all our problems on our own. But the truth is that we need each other in this world, and God has created this mutual need for our growth and for us to connect more with one another.

Our perspective on miracles must change. Miracles are not always in the parting of the sea or the descent of an angel, but sometimes in a kind smile, an encouraging word, or a small event that completely changes the course of our lives. An illness might stop you, but this very stop gives you the opportunity to look at your life differently and discover a new path. That illness is, in fact, a lifeboat, an intermediary from God to pull you out of the wrong path you were on and guide you toward spiritual and physical health.

Paying attention to these small and large signs is the art of living. When we learn to look carefully around us, we realize that God is constantly sending us signals. These signals can be in the form of a sudden idea in our minds, a meaningful sentence in a book, or a short conversation with a stranger. If we remain in a state of passive waiting, we will miss these signals, and after a while, we will feel lost and alone in life, while God has always been by our side, extending His hands to us.

One of the biggest lessons from this kind of perspective is that we learn to use everything and everyone, even hardships, as a tool for growth. When a problem arises for us, instead of asking “Why me?” we ask ourselves, “What lesson does this event hold for me?” This change in perspective turns us from a victim into a learner. Problems and obstacles are lifeboats that help us to become stronger and more aware and to walk on the right path. This is what the man in our story was unaware of, and for this reason, he missed the opportunities.

We must believe that God helps us in ways we cannot even imagine. This help can be in the form of a new job opportunity offered to us through a phone call, or even in the form of a major failure that causes us to completely change the course of our lives. We must keep our minds open and be ready to accept help from any direction, even from where we do not expect it. This means trusting the process of life and having faith that God always wants the best for us, even if at first they seem like the worst things.

This kind of attitude gives us peace. When we know that all events, even those that at first seem negative, are for our growth, we are no longer afraid of hardships. This means we move from a state of fear and waiting to a state of acceptance and gratitude. We become grateful for every opportunity, every help, and every lesson that life gives us. This gratitude opens a door to more opportunities for us and connects us to the divine flow of life.

If the man in our story had opened his eyes and believed that God had placed His hands in the hands of others, he would have boarded one of those boats and saved his life. But he only believed in one type of help, and for that reason, he drowned in the sea. We should not repeat his mistake. We must learn to look for God’s hands around us at every moment of life and use them to reach our shore of salvation.

In the end, we must know that life is a gift, and every gift given to us is from God. The lifeboats are symbols of these gifts, whether in the form of a job opportunity, a good friend, or even a difficult experience. It is up to us to see them and, with acceptance and gratitude, use them for growth and progress on our life’s journey.

Chapter Three: Am I a Victim of Fate or the Creator of My Life?

Why, when we hit a dead end, do we first complain to God and question fate? Why do we always tend to blame our failures on an external factor? This was a question I struggled with a lot during my early years of immigration to the US. Every time I faced a problem, I would tell myself, “I have bad luck” or “This was just my destiny”. Like many of us, instead of looking at my own choices, I was looking for an external culprit, but life showed me that this way of thinking only kept me stuck in place. I had to accept that every moment of my life was the result of a choice; whether conscious choices or unconscious ones.

Accepting this responsibility is the beginning of awakening. The man in our story, although he physically drowned in the sea, was in fact a victim of his own choices. He chose to ignore the lifeboats, he chose to remain passive, and he chose to not fight for his life. These choices came with a heavy price. We cannot choose to not make an effort and also expect to achieve results. Life is not a game where you can be both a spectator and a winner at the same time. You have to go onto the field, play with all your might, and accept responsibility for the outcome of the game.

Understanding this gives us power. When we know that the outcome of our lives depends on our choices, we no longer feel like victims. Instead, we feel that we are in control of our own lives. This does not mean that we can achieve everything, but it means that we are responsible for our reactions to events. A financial crisis might occur, but we can choose to either sit idly by or overcome it with effort and creativity. This choice makes the difference between success and failure.

This mindset gives us courage. When we know that we are responsible for our lives, we are less afraid. The fear of failure is one of the biggest obstacles to growth. When we are afraid of failure, we stand still instead of moving. But if we know that every failure is a choice from which we can learn and move forward, then fear loses its former meaning. The man in our story might have been afraid to get on those boats, he might have been afraid that a storm would come and sink the boat again, but this fear cost him his life.

Every opportunity we miss in our lives is the result of a choice. Maybe years ago, we were offered a job opportunity that we rejected out of fear of change. Maybe we lost a good relationship because we refused to accept our own weaknesses. These are all our choices. We cannot look back years later and say, “This was our destiny”. Our destiny is the result of our choices. We must be honest with ourselves and accept that we are solely responsible for our lives.

This perspective saves us from unnecessary complaints. When we accept responsibility for our lives, we no longer spend our time complaining about others or about fate. Instead, we dedicate all our energy to finding solutions and moving forward. This inner change turns us into an active and constructive person, not a passive and complaining one. The man in our story complained until the last moment, while he could have saved his life with a simple choice. He essentially gave up the glory and greatness of his life due to his unwillingness to accept responsibility.

Taking responsibility means accepting the consequences, both good and bad. When we choose to go on a path, we must be ready to accept all its results as well. This helps us to make more conscious choices. If we want to achieve success, we must choose to make an effort, use opportunities, and learn from our failures. This is a positive cycle that guides us toward success and growth. The man in our story turned this positive cycle into a negative one and ultimately drowned.

We must accept that God has given us the power of choice. This power is a great gift. He does not want us to be puppets waiting for His command at every moment. He wants us to be free and responsible human beings who create our own life paths with our choices. Trust in God, in this sense, means that we believe in our own power of choice and use it correctly. We trust God to guide our choices in the best possible way, but it is we who must choose and take the step.

Life is a river, and we can choose to sit on the bank and wait for the water to carry us forward, or we can build our own boat and row. The first choice means surrendering ourselves to fate and ultimately drowning in it. The second choice means accepting responsibility and moving toward the goal. The man in our story chose to wait on the bank, and for that reason, he lost his life.

In the end, let us accept the truth that we are not victims of fate, but the creators of our lives. Every choice we make today shapes our lives tomorrow. So let us make conscious choices, accept responsibility for our lives, and with trust in God, move toward our goals with power and courage. This is the best way to live.

Chapter Four: Is There Only One Way to Be Saved?

Why, when our plans fall through, does the world seem to end and we become hopeless? Why do we think there is only one way to achieve our goals? This question was a challenge that I faced many times in my own life. At certain points, I had only one goal and thought that if I did not reach it, it was over. This mindset had limited me and prevented me from seeing the countless other opportunities around me. Like the man in the story, I was waiting for a direct path to salvation, a path that I had created in my mind, but when that path closed, I would drown in despair.

This way of thinking puts our minds in a small box. We create a mental image of success and only look for that exact image. But the universe is beyond our imagination, and God has provided thousands of ways for every desire. The man in the story, instead of using the fishing boats as a creative solution, was waiting for a balloon or an angel to save him. He could not accept that his path to salvation was something as simple as a boat. This is the same problem many of us have: we are looking for big, complex, and extraordinary solutions, while our path to salvation might be in a simple idea or a small change in our lives.

This limited perspective makes us less flexible. Life is full of twists and turns, and we must be able to adapt to new situations. When our mind is focused on only one path, we reach a dead end when that path is blocked. But when our mind is open and we think about alternative routes, we can use every obstacle as a springboard. Failing at one job might guide us toward a better and more suitable one, but if our minds are closed, we see that failure as the end of the world.

An open mind helps us to connect with our intuition. Intuition is that inner voice that guides us toward new paths. Maybe a sudden idea comes to our mind or an inner feeling tells us to change our path. These could be the same lifeboats that God has sent for us. But if our minds are limited to a certain framework, we ignore these messages and only look for logical and predetermined solutions.

This kind of attitude distances a person from creativity. Creativity is the ability to see new ways and opportunities. When we only see one way, there is no need for creativity. But when we accept that there are countless ways to reach our goal, our minds start to think and brainstorm. It is this creativity that distinguishes us from others and helps us find innovative solutions in tough situations. If the man in our story had used a little creativity, he could have built a makeshift raft using the simple items around him.

We must believe that God has provided countless ways for us. This belief gives us hope. When we know that even if one path closes, dozens of others are open, we do not become hopeless. This means we move from a state of fear and despair to a state of hope and trust. This hope gives us the power to try again and start anew. The man in our story had placed his hope in a specific boat, and when that path was blocked, he lost all his hope.

Expanding our perspective also means accepting the unknown. We are often afraid of the unknown, and for that reason, we remain in our comfort zone. But stepping out of this comfort zone leads us toward new opportunities. A new career path, a new city to live in, or even a different lifestyle might be exactly what we need, but the fear of the unknown prevents us from reaching it.

The man in our story ultimately lost his life due to his inflexibility and closed mind. Instead of using the available opportunities, he was waiting for an opportunity that he had created in his mind. This story teaches us to open our eyes and look carefully at our surroundings, because our path to salvation might be in a place we do not even think of.

In the end, let us learn to have an open mind. This means that instead of focusing on one way, we think about all the ways. This means that we listen to our intuition and use our creativity. This means that we accept that God has provided countless ways for us and that with trust in Him, we can overcome any obstacle.

Chapter Five: Does Faith Without Action Save Us?

Why do some of us, despite having deep faith and a pure heart, not make progress in our lives? This question occupied my mind during my teenage and early adult years. I grew up in a religious family, and I was always taught that faith in God is the key to solving all problems. But with the passage of time and personal experiences, I realized that faith alone is not enough. Faith is like a seed that, if planted in the soil but never watered, will never grow. This discovery was a turning point for me; I realized that the man in our story, although he had strong faith, could not be saved from the crisis because he did not accompany it with action. He relied solely on his faith, without taking action and accepting the lifeboats.

True faith reveals itself in action. This faith is a driving force that pushes us toward effort and striving. When you have faith that God will open a path for you, you no longer drown in despair, but you try with more motivation to find that path. This is the difference between active faith and passive faith. Passive faith turns a person into a spectator, but active faith turns them into a main player on the stage of life.

The fear of failure is one of the biggest obstacles in turning faith into action. We sometimes, out of fear that our efforts will be fruitless, do not take any action at all and seek refuge in our faith. But true faith takes away our fear and gives us courage. When you have faith that God supports you, you are not afraid of failure, because you know that even if you fail, it will come with a great lesson for you. The man in our story, if his faith had been complete, should have gone toward one of the boats without fear and been hopeful of their help.

Action is the language of faith. When we say we have faith in God, we must prove it with our actions. If we have faith that God will heal us, we must seek the best treatment. If we have faith that God will provide for us, we must strive to earn it. These are all external manifestations of our faith. Without action, our faith remains a hollow claim, a claim that cannot move us forward in life.

This principle applies to all aspects of our lives. A student who has faith in their success does not just pray, but also makes an effort, studies, and prepares for exams. An entrepreneur who has faith in the success of their business does not just wait for a miracle, but also plans, takes risks, and takes steps to reach their goals. These individuals combine their faith with action, and this very combination leads them to success.

Faith without action is a dangerous illusion. This illusion gives us a false sense of security and distances us from reality. When we live in this illusion, over time we become disconnected from the real world and cannot face problems correctly. This is exactly what happened to the man in the story. He drowned in the illusion of pure faith and remained unaware of the reality of the storm and the sea.

We must accept that God wants us to have an active role in our lives. He has given us free will and choice so that we can create our own paths. Faith in God means surrendering to His will, but this surrender does not mean being passive, but rather accepting responsibility and making an effort on the path of His will. We must strive with all our being and leave the result to Him.

In the end, faith must give us the power to move and act. If our faith only gives us a false peace and makes us sit in a corner, we must reconsider our faith. True faith is a faith that gives us the motivation to get up, take action, and build our lives. This is what the man in the story was unaware of, and for this reason, he lost his life.

From now on, let us accompany our faith with action. When we say we trust God, let us at the same time strive with all our being to reach our goals. This is complete faith, a faith that saves us from the turbulent seas of life and brings us to the safe shore of peace.

Chapter Six: Should I Wait for a Boat or Build One Myself?

Why do some people, despite all obstacles and difficult conditions, overcome problems and build their lives, while others idly wait for an external opportunity or help? This question was one I asked myself many times in my life, especially during the years I was building a new life in the United States. At that time, I realized that waiting for an external “lifeboat” only leads to wasted time and lost opportunities. I had to build my own boat, with all my resources. This meant that instead of waiting for an ideal job opportunity, I would create one myself with my skills and efforts. This was a great lesson that turned me from a passive person into a creator in my life.

Building a boat is a symbol of accepting responsibility. It means that instead of leaving your life to chance and fate, you take it into your own hands. It means that you invest in your own growth, learn new skills, and bravely step onto unknown paths. This requires effort and courage, but its reward is a deep sense of power and control over life. If the man in our story, instead of waiting, had started collecting wood and building a boat, he could have been saved from drowning.

Creating opportunities gets us out of a state of waiting. Waiting is a negative energy that keeps us stuck. But when we start creating opportunities, a positive and constructive energy forms within us. This energy leads us toward new ideas, new connections, and innovative solutions. This positive cycle helps us, over time, not only to solve our problems but also to achieve greater successes.

This perspective turns us into a self-sufficient person. Self-sufficiency does not mean being independent of others, but rather the ability to solve problems by relying on internal abilities. When we know that we can build our own boat, we no longer look for a savior for every problem. This gives us peace and self-confidence and makes us an independent person. If the man in the story had trusted his own abilities, instead of rejecting the help of others, he would have accepted it as a tool to build his own boat.

Building a boat is a process and requires patience and persistence. No one can build a boat in one day. This work requires time, continuous effort, and learning from mistakes. But every step we take on this path brings us closer to the shore of salvation. The man in our story was waiting for a sudden miracle, but if he had known that his salvation was in a gradual and continuous process, perhaps his fate would have been different.

This kind of attitude gives us the power to step out of the victim role and instead accept the role of the hero of our own life. When we build our own boat, we accept that we are responsible for our lives, and this gives us the power to face all problems with courage. This attitude turns us from a passive person into an active hero in our lives.

We must know that God has given us all the tools to build a boat. He has given us the power of thought, creativity, will, and intuition. Our duty is to use these tools and build the boat of our life. This is true trust; a trust that, instead of passive waiting, compels us to act and gives us the power to build our own destiny with our own hands.

In the end, let us from now on, instead of waiting for a lifeboat, build one ourselves. Let us from now on, instead of waiting for an opportunity, create one ourselves. This is the only way to wake up from the sleep of heedlessness and build a purposeful and meaningful life.

Book Review

In this six-chapter journey, we delved into the story of a man who, in anticipation of a miracle, ignored his opportunities for salvation and drowned. This story served as a pretext for us to take a fresh look at the concepts of trust, faith, and responsibility in our own lives.

In Chapter One, we understood together that true trust is an active trust, not a passive wait. The man in the story, with his incomplete trust, pushed away God’s helping hands that had come in the form of lifeboats, and thus emptied his faith of action.

Chapter Two taught us that God’s hands do not always come from the sky. Sometimes a friend, a book, or even an unpleasant event, is our very own angel of salvation that we must see and accept. We learned to open our eyes and look for divine signs in the daily events of life.

In Chapter Three, we became familiar with the concept of responsibility. We realized that we are not victims of fate, but the creators of our own lives. Every choice we make has a consequence, and we cannot blame our failures on God or destiny.

Chapter Four took our minds out of their limited frameworks. We understood together that there is not just one way to achieve our goals and that God has provided countless ways for us. We learned that flexibility and creativity are the keys to overcoming obstacles.

In Chapter Five, we concluded that faith without action is fruitless. Faith must compel us to move and become the driving force behind our efforts. The man in the story, with his dry faith and lack of action, could not save himself.

And finally, in Chapter Six, we learned the most important lesson: we must build our own boat. Instead of waiting for opportunities to come to us, we must create them ourselves. This means accepting responsibility, growing, and striving to build the life we desire.

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Final Conclusion

The story of the man who drowned is not an old fable, but the tale of many of us. This book is an invitation to awaken. An awakening from the sleep of heedlessness that prevents us from seeing the small miracles of life while we wait for a big one. An awakening from the belief that our destiny is predetermined and that we have no role in it.

We learned together that God is not a dictator, but an unparalleled helper who has provided us with the tools for salvation and expects us to use these tools with trust in Him. True trust does not mean idly sitting by, but rather believing in God’s power, which, alongside our effort and action, smooths the path for us.

Therefore, from today, instead of waiting for lifeboats, let us build our own boat with all our might and courage. Let us accept responsibility for our lives and, with an open mind, look for opportunities. Let us accompany our faith with action to cross the turbulent sea of life and reach the safe shore of peace. This book is not an end, but the beginning of your journey toward your true self.