Lessons from the Poudre
The Cache La Poudre River runs through the Roosevelt National Forest in Northern Colorado and is a popular area for white water rafting and kayaking during the warm summer months. It received its name from a group of French trappers and traders who hid a cache of supplies, in the fall of 1836, including hundreds of pounds of gunpowder near the river.
As a young man I decided to ride a portion of the river on an inner tube. This part of the river had a nice quiet area above a white water chute and a relatively easy section below the chute. I set out into the middle of the river in an effort to avoid hitting the rocks on the sides as I would shoot through the opening. En route there was one large submerged boulder. And as you may guess, yours truly went right over it. I was thrown face first into the water and separated from my source of safe buoyancy. The tube got stuck in the eddy behind the boulder as I was swept downstream.
Although a strong swimmer, I couldn’t get back to the tube. To me that tube meant safety and I was desperate to get back to it. I tried to swim toward it as fast as I could, but was no match for the current as it propelled me closer to the white water chute just yards away. The river was in control and I couldn’t escape its grip on me. My confidence soon turned to fear as I tumbled through the chute, out of control, gasping for air, and taking in lots of water. At this point all I wanted to do was survive but I didn’t even know which way was up. Once through the chute I swam to shallow water and dragged what was left of me to the bank.
Barely 10 minutes had passed from when I first entered the rapids but I was exhausted, coughing up water, and grateful for air as I lay prone on the rugged river bank. The tube soon came bouncing downstream and was picked up farther on.
Thinking back on what just happened, I had known in such situations that it’s important to swim with the current and not fight it. If I had done that in the first place I would have entered the chute with plenty of energy and strength. Instead, I was worn out, out of control, and a little scared. I knew better, but I became focused on what I perceived as security and missed what I needed to do in a quickly changing situation.
Many times in my life God has put me in situations where I’m no longer in control. The plans I made get flipped and I find myself face first in “cold water” and quickly moving away from my expectations. Just as I had desperately tried to regain control and fought against the current to no avail, none of us can ever win the battle when it’s God behind our struggles. Resisting a trial or test is like fighting the current, and leads to emotional exhaustion, resulting in anger and hurt over what just doesn’t seem fair. It’s easy to get moody and discouraged. Instead of riding the current (the fun part) we get focused on getting back in control.
The lesson learned is that it’s best to “go with the flow” God has placed in my life than to fight it. I’m not suggesting concession to wrong-doing or to a worldly lifestyle, but to cooperating with the Lord in the struggles He allows. The Apostle Paul understood this in Romans 5:3 where he encourages us to exult in our tribulations. This isn’t ignoring the difficulty but allowing God to use it for good. It’s so much easier to endure hardship when we’re trusting that God is in control and working in us. When we fight against God by asking, “Why? Why me? Why this?” it leaves us emotionally exhausted and alone.
Alternately, when we get swept down river by the current and into the chute of trials, we can actually choose to be grateful. Remember 1 Thessalonians 5:18: in everything give thanks, even when you don’t understand what He is up to. So when a peaceful life suddenly hits the white water, consider “going with the flow” and allow God to do His work in and through you.