When the Santa Lucia finally entered the harbor at Rome, a great cheer erupted throughout the ship.
Passengers applauded.
Some embraced complete strangers.
Others wiped tears from their eyes.
A few fell to their knees and thanked God.
After the terror of the night, solid ground seemed like a miracle.
As the ship slowly docked, Captain Lubasi stood quietly near the railing.
The morning sun sparkled upon the water.
It was hard to believe that only hours earlier those same waters had looked determined to swallow them all.
The passengers began disembarking.
Families reunited.
Luggage rolled across the terminal.
Crew members exchanged exhausted smiles.
The ordeal was finally over.
Yet Captain Lubasi found himself searching for only one person.
Fernando.
He eventually spotted the old teacher near the exit terminal, calmly collecting his suitcase.
The same Bible rested under his arm.
The same peaceful smile remained on his face.
It was as though the storm had never happened.
"Fernando!" Lubasi called.
The old teacher turned.
"There you are, Captain."
"I've been looking for you."
Fernando smiled.
"I suspected you might."
The two men began walking together toward the harbor entrance.
For several moments neither spoke.
Seagulls circled overhead.
Workers moved about the docks.
The Mediterranean looked calm again.
Almost innocent.
Finally, Lubasi broke the silence.
"I need to ask you something."
Fernando nodded.
"Go ahead."
"What is the source of your courage?"
The old teacher looked toward the sea.
Instead of answering immediately, he pointed to a cargo ship anchored nearby.
"Tell me, Captain. Why does a ship sink?"
Lubasi frowned.
"Because of damage."
"Not entirely."
Fernando stopped walking.
"A ship does not sink because of the vast sea that surrounds it."
He paused.
"It sinks because of the little water that enters it."
The words caught Lubasi's attention.
Fernando continued.
"The same principle applies to life."
The old teacher pointed toward the Mediterranean.
"It was not the storm around us that threatened our peace last night."
Then he gently touched his chest.
"It was the storm trying to enter here."
Lubasi listened carefully.
Fernando's voice grew softer.
"You believed the storm had come to destroy you and the ship."
"And didn't it?" Lubasi asked.
Fernando smiled.
"No."
"Then why did it come?"
The old teacher looked toward the bright morning sky.
"To me, the storm came so that God could remind me that He is still with me."
Lubasi remained silent.
Fernando continued.
"Every wave reminded me that God was greater."
"Every thunderclap reminded me that He reigns."
"Every flash of lightning reminded me that He is King over the sea, the wind, life, and death."
The retired soldier stared at him.
The words stirred something deep within him.
Something he could not explain.
"So you weren't afraid?"
Fernando laughed softly.
"Oh, fear knocked on the door of my heart many times."
"What did you do?"
"I refused to let it in."
Then Fernando stopped walking and looked directly into Lubasi's eyes.
"A soldier who survives a war is one who fights with a peaceful mind and an untroubled heart."
Lubasi felt as though the old teacher were speaking directly to his soul.
Fernando continued.
"Such a soldier is difficult to defeat because he has already conquered the battle within."
"The peace that Jesus gives remains during storms."
"It remains during wars."
"It remains when death stands at the door."
A long silence followed.
Then Fernando said the words that would change Captain Lubasi's life forever.
"The strongest soldiers are not always those who carry the biggest weapons."
He smiled.
"They are those who keep their hearts at peace in Christ, no matter what battles they face."
Captain Lubasi stood motionless.
For years he had trusted military training.
Experience.
Discipline.
Human strength.
Yet none of those things had given him the peace he had witnessed aboard the Santa Lucia.
For the first time in his life, he realized something was missing.
Something very important.
And he wanted it.