It's Dangerous Without A Life Jacket!

Mike Hosey, Elder

A few years ago, I dropped my kayak into the Suwannee River just north of Big Shoals.  My goal was to paddle 40 miles and take out at the Music Park before my three day weekend was over. Part of that adventure was to navigate the Big Shoals rapids while they were still a class III for the season.

As I approached the rapids on my second day, the kayak got sideways in the current.  I knew this was bad, but the mistake was already made.  The kayak got pushed against an obstacle in the current and was capsized.  My strength was no match for the current, and I couldn’t stop it.  The river took me to its bottom, dragging me for I don’t know how far!  Even with my life jacket on, I went beneath the surface.  But when the current finally let go, it was that life jacket that popped me back up to the world of air.

If I had gotten into that boat without that life jacket, it is highly possible, perhaps even probable, that I would have been in much greater danger of death in that moment when I found myself outside my boat in the current of a river that I could not fight!

Our spiritual walk is like this. Even though we are eternally safe once we submit to Jesus, we can still suffer significant injury in this world, and especially in our mission.  If each day we get into our boat without our life jackets, we are in significantly greater danger of drowning in a river for which we are no match. Once we’re submerged in that river, we don’t have access to air, and eventually our effectiveness is extinguished. We MUST keep our heads above the water, and a life jacket is the key to that. 

Our divine life jacket is the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 tells us that He helps us in our weaknesses.  Just like a physical life jacket helps us when we are too weak to swim anymore, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are too weak to keep our heads above those worldly troubles that impact our Christian mission.

Never ever get in your boat without Him.  By the way, the rapids did bruise me up pretty badly, but because I had the right equipment in my boat, I made it to where I was going. You can, too.