Seeing the parallels between following Jesus and going white river rafting.
Why did I sign up for this adventure?
This past Saturday, Tamara Dull, my husband Fred and I joined a group from Life at the Ridge on a white river rafting trip down the Wenatchee River. It's a Class III/IV adventure that leaves from Leavenworth, Washington, and ends in Cashmere, Washington. When we signed up in early May it sounded like a great idea. River rafting was always something I'd wanted to do. Now, in a rented wet suit, booties and a life-vest, serious doubts set in. Will I get tossed out of the boat? Should I have updated my will? Why did I want to do this?
Of course I wouldn't back out or tell people that I feared for my life. No way. So, I swallowed hard, followed directions and got in the boat. At first, the guide trained us and had us practice paddling on a very calm part of the river. We learned to paddle together: forward, backward, left back and right back. Then we headed lazily down the river. The guide still held little practice sessions. It was fun but a bit slow. I wondered if we were being lulled into a false sense of security. There would be rapids, right?
Paddle through a ten-foot wave
Then we hit the white water. The guide steered us right into the roughest part of the waves, told us to paddle, raised his voice so that we paddled harder, and insured that we experienced the full splash of cold river water. Brrr. That water is cold!
Now soaking wet, we had experience the rapids and survived! This was fun!The guide took us through more thrilling sections of river getting us thoroughly wet as we enjoyed every minute.
What about my fear? Most of the time I focused so much on paddling that I forgot to be afraid. We had a blast! Once we completed the rafting, we loaded the boat, boarded a bus and headed back for dry clothes and a BBQ lunch.
Follow the right guide
Reflecting on our adventure, it occurred to me that launching Semper Vita reminds me a lot of this rafting trip. Sometimes I find myself on shore afraid to get in the boat because the rapids might get me. And, sometimes I float lazily along the river forgetting how serious our mission is. Then other times I just paddle hard following Jesus and forget I felt scared.
This Semper Vita adventure feels like riding the rapids. It's intense but great. After a stretch of wild waves, we get to the next patch of calm water - soaked but feeling exhilarated. As we emerge from the spray, we dry off, regroup and get ready for the next set of white water.
How's your adventure? Who is your guide? Want to join us?
