What Hell Is In Your Boat

What Hell Is In Your Boat

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction and life’s messiest storms? In this faith-filled talk, Dr. Theresa M Bell uses the story of Jonah to help people look honestly at the chaos in their lives and ask a hard question: *“What hell is in your boat?”* Speaking straight from Jonah chapter 1, Dr. Bell points out that the mariners weren’t the problem – they simply let the wrong person on board.

She connects this to everyday life: relationships, finances, even joint bank accounts where someone keeps making poor choices and you’re the one paying late fees. As she puts it, *“A lot of the calamity that we go through is not because we brought it on ourselves… it’s because we allowed somebody else in our boat.”* The episode is aimed at people of faith who are tired of constant drama, including those in recovery from substance use or destructive patterns.

You’ll hear about the danger of being unequally yoked, why “all money ain’t good”, and how some people bring their own storm into your life – but also how blame just keeps the waves crashing. Dr. Bell reminds the audience that *“Blame never stops the storm.

Blame never causes peace to come.”* Instead of endlessly rehashing who did what, she urges prayer, forgiveness, and interceding for the very people who caused the trouble, just as the mariners prayed for Jonah before throwing him overboard. There’s even a gentle challenge to look at your own role: are you the one bringing hell into someone else’s boat?

With biblical storytelling, everyday examples, and a bit of humour, this episode offers a clear spiritual check-in: who’s in your boat, what are they carrying, and are you fuelling the storm or helping it settle? It might be time to ask yourself whose choices you’re carrying – and what you’re finally ready to throw overboard.