My husband and I just got back from
our honeymoon to Kauai! It was amazing, the island was beautiful, and our first
traveling experience as Mr. and Mrs. was full of so many adventures! One of the
things we were able to do while we were there was take a kayak trip that led us
to a hiking trail through the jungle to a beautiful waterfall. It was so
incredible and such a fun way to tour different parts of the island!
When you’re kayaking with another
person you’ve really got to be in sink, paddling on the same side at the same
time and keeping the same tempo. It sounds simple enough but it can get pretty
tricky as you navigate against the flow of the river and into some very narrow
and shallow channels. And If you do get out of rhythm you end up splashing each
other, slowing down, and potentially tipping the boat. Thankfully, that last
one didn’t happen to us but the other things did. It was really frustrating at
the start of the trip. I was in the front thinking selfishly of my husband, “he
can see what I’m doing, he should just be keeping pace with me! All he has to
do is look ahead!”
I know what you’re thinking….and I
already admitted…I SELFISHLY thought these things….
Well my little fit over the whole
paddling situation didn’t ruin the whole day and the rest of the trip ended up
being great!
But it really got me thinking, and
in that thinking the Lord has shown me some awesome things that I want to share
with you all…
In life, it’s really like we are in
that kayak with Jesus. Paddling together down the river of life to destinations
that hold hidden beauty. In our kayak Jesus is sitting in the front- leading
and guiding, charting the route to our next destination. All we have to do is
look ahead- to Jesus- and keep pace with him. It sounds simple enough right?
And yet somehow, we can still manage to mess things up. We try to paddle too
fast…to get ahead of God and His plans, to try to walk in OUR ways as if WE
know best. Other times, we go too slow…we stay stagnant when God has told us to
move. In both cases we lack faith and trust in God, oh how foolish our little
hearts can be!
The beautiful thing about paddling
with Jesus is that He doesn’t throw a fit (unlike myself) when we are lacking
the common sense to look ahead or simply can’t keep up with Him. Instead, He is
constantly looking back to us to encourage us, to grab hold of us, to steady
our boats when we are near the tipping point. Even when we try to paddle our
own way God’s gentle hand continues to guide, His loving arms hold us, He
showers us with grace, and He will never jump ship and leave us to navigate the
waters of life alone. He has called us his OWN and He is just waiting for us to
paddle WITH Him.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11
