Paddling Together

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