Sea Kayaking!

As part of our OLD School semester, we kayaked for a week in the waters surrounding Everglades National Park. This is always a highlight due to the warm weather (70 degrees in November!) and natural beauty of the area. This semester was no different. We had a great time; it was a welcome change of pace after caving in Alabama. The majority of the time the weather was great; sunny, few clouds, and manageable wind.

One day my pod (group of kayakers) crossed a long section of open water. Shortly after we started, the wind picked up and the waves became fairly choppy. We put our heads down and continued, facing the waves and wind. Worse yet, the current had recently changed and worked against us. The situation was not looking promising.

Our pod's skill level was fairly high. We didn’t have any professional kayakers, but most of them could hold their own. There was one weak link in our pod; a female student I’ll call Wilma. Wilma was a weak paddler. This problem was compounded when she would get tired and paddle infrequently. As we faced large waves, the best strategy was to paddle continuously. You’ll exert much more energy restarting your kayak than if you continuously paddle.

My fellow leader and I were faced with a tough decision. Should we let Wilma continue to work through this challenge? Or do we tow her behind one of us for the betterment of the pod? We decided to let her continue paddling. I stayed close to her and I felt myself becoming very frustrated. I would zigzag for long stretches of water or flat-out stop dead in the water. I became impatient but I was committed to have Wilma overcome the physical challenge. The rest of the pod was very far ahead of us and they made it to the destination island.

Eventually I saw my fellow leader paddling back toward us. She had the tow rope and told me that she thought it was best for the group for one of us to tow her. The rest of the group was physically spent and the sunset would be happening soon. I listened to her opinions and my impatient side quickly agreed with her. I towed Wilma (much to her vocal displeasure) for the final 20 minutes, pulling both her weight and mine. It seemed like much longer than 20 minutes, though! Once we made it to the island we quickly set up camp and cooked before the sunset.

Lying in my sleeping bag that night, I had time to reflect on the day’s proceedings. And an idea hit me (it was painful, as it doesn’t happen much!). I thought about how the towing situation can be an example of God’s involvement in our lives. Think about it:

How often are we Wilma?

How often do we battle AND battle AND put our heads down when the challenges of life threaten to knock us down? 

And yet there is God, never outside of our reach. Even when we feel abandoned, even when others leave, even when the situation looks bleak. God is always there, right by our side, ready to take us to safety. We may kick and fuss, but in the end it is always easier and more efficient. And best yet, we learn the lesson through our failed attempts. As C.S. Lewis said, 

"Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn."

And I also learned that day. I had the tiniest glimpse of what it might be like to be God. And I’ll tell you, I would be a terrible god. It’s a good thing that I have him to rely on, and him to provide me experiences where I can learn patience. And get a good workout.

God Bless,

Jeremy