On Saturday night I arrived at home a bruised, battered, bloody mess. My kayak was lost in the woods on the banks of the Big Muddy River somewhere in Southern Illinois. I started out seven or eight hours earlier confident in my ability to achieve my goal no matter what anyone else thought or said. I returned home in total defeat.
After church on Sunday I got on the computer and looked at some satellite maps of the area. I eventually found the oil field road on which I had walked out the night before. About one half mile south of that road I found a farm road that went all the way to the banks of the Big Muddy. I got in the truck and drove out to that road. Occasionally, I had to get out and move fallen trees out of the way. In other places the road was little more than a rut through the woods. Finally, I came to a clearing by the river. The river was wide with no obstructions at this point. The western bank was adjacent to a large tract of cornfields. I returned home to make a plan for the next day.
On Monday morning at sunrise, OPERATION RESCUE began. I drove out to the clearing by the river. After swimming across the river I climbed the western bank and began walking upstream through the harvested cornfields. About three quarters of a mile I came to a woods. Cutting through the woods along the riverside, I finally spotted my kayak on the eastern bank. Once more in the chill of the early morning I swam across the river. This time, I hauled the kayak down to the shore on the south side of another logjam.
From there, I was able to paddle downstream to my truck with no problems. This time I had already walked along the river and knew where the trouble spots were. In addition, I knew exactly how far it was to my destination.
It was a fun trip. No problems, just paddling down the river. There were some large fish jumping out of the water as they fed. There were wood ducks, mallards and herons. At one point, I came around a bend and saw four or five deer getting an early morning drink. I saw several squirrels, rabbits and a few chipmunks. Most exciting for me, I think I saw beavers near the one logjam I had to deal with that day. They quickly went under water with a loud splat sound that I took to be a warning smack of the tail of one. Whatever it was (I'll go to the grave insisting they were beaver) they did not surface again while I was in the area.
This was why I wanted to kayak down the river. Adventure, beautiful sightings of wildlife in its natural habitat. Negotiating obstacles, alone and free. Enjoying God's glorious creation. All of this was mine. In a very short time I came to the clearing where I had begun the morning's adventure.
I loaded my kayak and gear into the truck, texted Karen that OPERATION RESCUE was a success, and drove home. After a shower and change of clothes, the defeat of Saturday was only a distant memory.
No matter how badly you have failed on the River of Life, there is the hope of rescue. There is the hope that life can be all that life was meant to be. Rescue, or salvation comes "by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2.8)." The Bible promises that no matter how terrible or how trivial (in humankind's eyes) our sins are, that if we confess them Jesus is faithful to forgive them and purify us (1 John 1.9). Those who trust Christ and humbly turn away from sin have this promise. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; look, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5.17)." This is the hope of all believers.
Just as I had to admit failure and walk away from my kayak that dark night, you need to admit failure and walk away from living in disobedience to God. Just as on Monday morning I now knew where to go and what to do; when you turn away from sin and to Jesus Christ, everything is new. He shows you how to live your life in obedience to God. Just as my Monday morning paddle was everything I could have hoped for; living in Christ brings a new life that is full of goodness, peace and love. It is the only successful way to paddle down the River of Life.
No matter how badly you have failed on the River of Life, there is the hope of rescue. There is the hope that life can be all that life was meant to be. Rescue, or salvation comes "by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2.8)." The Bible promises that no matter how terrible or how trivial (in humankind's eyes) our sins are, that if we confess them Jesus is faithful to forgive them and purify us (1 John 1.9). Those who trust Christ and humbly turn away from sin have this promise. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; look, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5.17)." This is the hope of all believers.
Just as I had to admit failure and walk away from my kayak that dark night, you need to admit failure and walk away from living in disobedience to God. Just as on Monday morning I now knew where to go and what to do; when you turn away from sin and to Jesus Christ, everything is new. He shows you how to live your life in obedience to God. Just as my Monday morning paddle was everything I could have hoped for; living in Christ brings a new life that is full of goodness, peace and love. It is the only successful way to paddle down the River of Life.
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