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"ALL HANDS ON DECK! WE'RE TAKING ON WATER!" blares the PA.

Startled awake, crew members spill out of their bunks and onto the soaked floor. They scramble up the stairs, forming a bucket brigade on the moonlit deck.

"Damage report?" the Commanding Officer barks from the bridge.

"We’ve registered no contact from the enemy, sir," the Executive Officer replies. "I’ve sent the Chief Engineer below deck to find the leak."

Minutes later, the Chief Engineer bursts onto the bridge. "Sir, you need to come see this. It’s urgent!"

"Take the helm!" the Commander orders, following the engineer below deck.

Trudging through knee-deep water, they arrive at the galley. Fighting the current and squinting through the flashing red lights, they approach a fountain of water spraying from the aft-facing wall.

"Do you see it, sir?" the Chief Engineer shouts over the chaos.

"Yes," the Commander responds grimly. "These holes are too round to be natural. We’ve been sabotaged."

The Commander pivots quickly, bounding up the stairs with the engineer in tow. Once on deck, he bellows, "ALL HANDS, HALT!"

The crew snaps to attention.

"We’ve been sabotaged! The enemy is likely still aboard. I want five men bailing water and five reporting to the Chief Engineer. All others, form search teams and scour the ship. Find the intruder!"

"YES, SIR!" the crew roars as they scatter to their assignments.

Ten minutes later, a group of sailors emerges from below deck with a bound and gagged prisoner.

"Sir, we found this," a crew member says, handing the Commander an industrial drill.

"Good work, men! Throw him in the brig for questioning, then all hands return to bailing water until further orders."

That scene could be straight out of a movie, but it reminds me of a deeper truth about how we often handle our own crises.

We’d all like to see ourselves as the Commander: calm under pressure, taking decisive action, and saving the day.

But in reality, many of us are part of the bailing crew, desperately shoveling water overboard to prevent sinking. We focus on the immediate crisis, grabbing a bucket rather than finding the cause of the leak.

When we patch the occasional hole, we often miss the bigger picture: the enemy’s sabotage. To effectively manage our ships and help those around us, we need to learn how to identify root causes of problems the way a true Commander does.

Failing to follow this protocol leaves enemies free to drill more holes.

I’ll admit it: I was a lousy boat commander.

I spent years bailing water, patching holes, and worrying about the next leak. But the water always returned because I never addressed the root causes of problems sabotaging my ship.

My three biggest enemies were "Unlovable," "Lack of Value," and "Failure." Here’s what their sabotage looked like:

These saboteurs wanted to destroy me, and some came dangerously close. It wasn’t until I surrendered command to Christ in my life that they were finally captured.

Now, free from constant crisis management, I can ask a bigger question: What does it mean to be a good crewmate?

Looking around my boat, I see the crew who helped me stay afloat: friends, family, and loved ones. I’m part of their crew too, and my goal is to help them as they’ve helped me.

Here’s how I strive to follow the Commander’s protocol for others:

In this way, I share what the Commander has taught me, so others can be freed from their enemies too.

Until next time,
Addison