Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!
How to Grow with God and How (Not) to Raft
Rafting, like a lot of things in life, is simple:
Just paddle.
Unfortunately “simple” doesn’t always mean “easy.” An action like paddling is predictable, but rivers are not. Sometimes water moves faster than you expected. Sometimes currents are stronger than you thought. Sometimes the group you’re responsible for all fall out and teenagers cry and throw up and the maid of honor from your wedding breaks her tailbone. Just for example.
But no matter what, the action is always the same:
Just paddle.
I think about rafting a lot because I live by a big river and I get to go in the summer months. (By the way - I’m certainly not a rafting expert, and if you are, you’re going to hate this post. I understand that there’s more to guiding a rafting trip than “just paddle.” Hang with me).
I also think about whitewater rafting sometimes because it has a lot in common with spiritual pain. Often we’re cruising along with no worries in our faith journey, and all of a sudden the water gets as murky as the Chattahoochee River. Or maybe, you’ve been cruising in your faith journey and you happen upon a “class 5 rapid” of sorts.
You lose a loved one.
You deal with chronic illness.
You’re hurt by someone close to you.
God feels distant.
And often in the midst of our rapids, we forget to paddle. Instead, we respond in other ways:
We fight. We swing wildly with our paddles at the waves. And even if we propel some water, we often hit other people in the raft and cause more damage in our wake.
We bail. In the midst of pain and darkness, sometimes it’s easy just to jump ship. To stop paddling altogether and sink beneath the waves. Some will get back on the raft eventually. But all too often, many don’t.
We freeze. We drop our paddles and stare at the rapid. The problem, of course, is that this doesn’t make the rapid go away.
We plead. “Please Mr. River, please don’t hurt me. I promise I’ll never go rafting again if you just spare me.” To be fair, I haven’t tried this one. But I have a feeling it wouldn’t work. Jesus calmed rough waters, but He did it with authority. Pleading ain’t it.
So in the midst of a dark night or a “rapid” if you will, what do we do?
We paddle. Because even if the rapids are scary or unknown, your Guide is in the rapids (or the darkness) with you. And here’s the other thing:
The rapids are why we go rafting! There’s a reason you opted for the rapids instead of the lazy river. The rapids are the best part! And just like that, often the best stuff we learn about God happens in the midst of the unknown (or even painful) parts of our spiritual journey. God so often teaches us in the most unlikely places. Psalm 112:3 speaks to this regarding the “righteous man”:
“Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and upright.”
God loves to teach us in the darkness. This is where our ideas about God go from big to bigger. It’s scary. But on the other side, it’s worth it.
So the next time we’re cruising in our faith journey, let’s make a deal.
Don’t fight.
Don’t bail.
Don’t freeze.
Don’t plead.
Just paddle. The Guide’s got you. And He’s better than you think.