Midweek Musing- 7/2/2024 Letting Help, Help!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6

(Jesus said,) “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:26

This last weekend my wife had the idea for us to go whitewater rafting down the Nantahala River. I first thought she was joking but when she asked me what time I wanted to go down the river I suddenly knew she was serious.

So, we got up early one morning and headed to travel down the Nantahala River in a raft with five other strangers, one of which thank goodness was an avid outdoorsman, rafter and amazing guide who made sure we got down the river safely. I will admit I felt much better about the trip when he said he had been down the river over one thousand times, and no one had ever been seriously injured.

Of course, before we left on the trip our guide went over safety procedures and other information we might need. We were given safety equipment like life jackets which are now called PFD’s, which stands for personal flotation devices. They gave us each our very own paddle and showed us how to use it correctly so that we didn't hit anybody in the head and create a case of summer teeth. (Summer teeth occur when one gets hit in the mouth with the paddle and some of your teeth are in the raft, some are in the river, and some are left in your mouth.)

And oh yes, we signed waivers - just in case.

And then we headed off on our trip.

It was mostly great fun. When I say mostly there was one little incident that involved yours truly.

We were heading over a series of little rapids when three rogue tsunami size waves came crashing towards me and me alone! I survived the first wave but then suddenly I was in the forty-three-degree North Carolina water. To say it was cold is an understatement.

Now I remembered I was to use my paddle to reach toward the boat and try to float on my back in a sort of L position. I also was trying to remember to breathe in the frigid cold waters!

I was quickly pulled toward the boat by someone in the raft and grabbed the rope that ran on the outside of the boat that is there for these very situations. I then tried to lift myself back in the raft. I remembered something about them grabbing my PFD to pull me in but to be honest was really just trying to fight my way back in the boat. And I was not being successful.

The guide who once again was amazing, stood over me in the raft and caught my eyes. He said two things.

First, he said, “You are ok.”

And I was. Looking back at it later, I realized most likely in another 30 seconds I would have been downstream in the calm waters and able to stand with my head well above the water quite easily.

Then he said, “Let me help you.”

Now for that to happen I had to stop struggling and let him take control. He could then pull me up a bit and then push me back down in the river so that the buoyancy of my PFD would lift me out of the water far enough for me to help pull myself in the raft.

To reach safety (and warmth) I had to give up a bit of control and turn myself over to someone with far more experience and skill than I possessed.

As soon as I stopped fighting, trying to do it on my own, I was able to reach the boat and the warm sunshine.

This experience reminds me so much of my life of faith. I far too often try to do it all on my own instead of handing my burdens over to God. Or as the Psalmist writes trusting God and not relying on myself alone. When this happens, I always end up making a mess of things.

However, when I let God help me—putting faith and trust in one with far more experience and skill than I—well it is then I am far more successful in knowing what to do to help myself in whatever challenges I might be facing.

Of course, that means I have to stop fighting and let God have ultimate control. And to be honest that is a scary thing for many of us to do.

In fact, for a moment when that river boat guide said “let me help you” I actually tried to pull myself up with even more gusto. And I continued to fail spectacularly.

But then I let go, and before I knew it, I was in the boat laughing about my Nantahala River baptism! And when we hit the stretch of river with no shade and only hot sun, I was the only one not sweating!

Friends, our Lord wants to help us whenever life’s waves flip us out of the boat. We simply have to reach towards him, believe we are going to be ok and then let our Lord have the power to pull us in the right direction so we can find our way home to safety.

May we find the courage to put our trust and our faith in the one who promises to be with us always.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Alleluia Amen.