It wasn't the plan to go down the river as pictured above - but sometimes things don't go the way you had planned. Thankfully those who flew out of the raft were able to get back in and no one was hurt. When things don't go as planned there are a few things to help you navigate the unexpected changes, adjust, adapt and get back at it as soon as possible.
1. EQUIPMENT is Important.
On the dry land a life vest seems a bit uncomfortable. A Helmet? "Really, I don't need a helmet." A paddle can do more than just help you paddle down river; it may also be a means to pull somebody back to the raft or to get the raft over to them. The point is that the equipment is important. The life jacket to keep you afloat and a helmet to protect your head suddenly became vital pieces of equipment when your rafting trip is turned upside down in an instant. Thankfully we have some "spiritual equipment" to help us navigate the challenges of life. Our equipment is the armor of God. Ephesians 6 records all the pieces that are designed to protect us from head to toe. Read about it HERE. One shouldn't go down the river without the right equipment and you should not try to live your life without appropriating the equipment God has provided for you.2. EVERYONE works together.
For a rafting trip to be successful everyone must work together. If the guide says, "Give me two forward." Everyone needs to give two forward strokes together. If six people each paddle how they want and when they want you will find a raft of people going nowhere on purpose. Everyone working together is also important when there is a "man overboard." You have to know what to do and how to do it. Where do you grab his life vest and how do you leverage yourself to pull him back into the raft. The other four or five in the raft need to listen to the guide to keep the raft in place until everyone is back in the raft. Teamwork is vital to a good trip down the river. Teamwork is also vital to being all that we can be as a church. God has gifted and placed each of us in the body according to His will. As we each do our part we will be able to move forward and accomplish all that God has for us to do to be all that He wants us to be.3. ENJOY the ride.
Thankfully the "man overboard" picture above happened at the beginning of the trip. Everyone was pulled back into the raft and the journey continued without any other incidents. Likewise, in life, we sometimes "fall overboard" but thankfully we can be pulled back into the raft and we can enjoy the rest of the journey. By God's grace and with the help of others we can still enjoy the ride. It may be rough at times, we may feel a bit of fear because of what we have already gone through but if we will stay in the raft, work together and keep our focus it is possible to enjoy the ride.Life doesn't always go the way you planned, but that is what makes life exciting and that is also what keeps us on our knees in prayer.
We need to remember the importance of the EQUIPMENT God has provided for us (Eph. 6:10-20), the value of EVERYONE working together and that no matter what happens we can get back up (or back into the raft) and ENJOY the rest of the ride.
Still Paddling by the Grace of God,
Pastor Mike
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