I'm extremely excited that I can relate rafting to something as deep as I have here. Get a load of this:
I've been a rafting guide for three summers now. It's been one of the greatest joys of my life to spend three summers on the beautiful Ocoee river, showing people a good, exciting time. I really feel like I'm in my element out there. I'm completely in control, and (God forbid) if anything were to go wrong, it's up to ME and my fellow guides to fix it . . .
. . . and a lot can go wrong.
There are different types of waves in a river, one of which is called a hydraulic wave. A hydraulic wave is very unique in the way it works, and can be VERY dangerous, depending on the strength. Here's how it works: moving water pours over rocks in the riverbed. If those rocks are close enough to the surface, and the rock sits just below the water, a hydraulic wave is formed. The water closest to the surface actually re-circulates over itself and creates a suction where the re-circulating water meets the water passing over the rock.
Sorry if this is hard to follow.
Anyway, it's that water closest to the surface that is the dangerous part. The water deeper down actually keeps flowing straight down the river. This is where it gets dangerous. If a customer falls into a hydraulic wave, chances are they are going to get re-circulated a few times, and guides tend to panic a little, because they know the gravity of the situation.
Hold on, it's about to get good...
|
From a customer's perspective, an uneducated person when it comes to whitewater and hydraulic waves and such, it can be a terrifying experience. A guide, however, or really anyone who knows the trick, can get out of a hydraulic wave with a lot less effort.
Let me tell you what happens.
Anytime we, as air breathing creatures, are underwater, our first instinct is to come up for air. Sometimes it's not that simple. When someone is caught in a hydraulic wave, obviously the first instinct is to get to the surface and swim out of it (downstream). The problem is, you're swimming in very aerated water, that is, there are many bubbles so it's hard to swim through, plus you're swimming against the current. You're getting re-circulated, or as we like to say, you're getting worked. Big time. Sure, you fight and fight because it feels like the right thing to do, and you come up, and get that ever-so-amazing breath of air, and you've never felt better. No air you've ever breathed has been more refreshing, more satisfying. You feel like you're safe again. Then you get sucked back under and worked for a while. But you keep fighting and then you come up. ANOTHER BREATH! This one - even better than the last.
But you're fighting a losing battle.
Unfortunately, this technique leaves you at the mercy of the wave. Sure, sometimes you can swim out of it, but the more powerful they get, the more IMPOSSIBLE it is to swim out.
Here's the trick: to get out of a wave like this - a potentially life threatening situation - you have to go against your instincts. And I'm not talking "maybe go against your instincts a little." no. I'm saying you have to go COMPLETELY against what you think you know. You have to abandon what feels right, abandon that losing battle. Do the only thing that doesn't seem to make sense when you're underwater, especially if you want to get out. Do the ONLY thing that will ensure that you do, in fact, get out. You have to get to that deep current that will carry you downstream, away from the danger.
|
Take a minute, let that sit in your mind for a while. Think about it. Think hard.
We go through struggles in life. That's what it's all about. Peaks and valleys, right? We enjoy the times on the tops of these mountains. We loathe the valleys. In reality though, this is where our character is made. This is where God shapes us, molds us; builds our character. This is where God PREPARES US to be on top of that next mountain. This is where HE tests us. How long are we willing to fight that losing battle? How long are we going to fight to stay on the surface of the water? Sure, we come up and get a breath of air every now and then, and it seems like all is perfect when that happens, you're free from being underwater, free from your problem. Then you get sucked back down again, and you're actually worse off than you were. We have to be willing to suffer more initially; be willing to let go; be willing to suffer as much as we need to suffer, more than we want to suffer; be willing to let our guard COMPLETELY down, and be torn down completely, so that HE can build us back up.
Sure, sometimes the wave isn't that strong. Our problem is minimal. With enough effort, we can swim out of it on our own. But my friends know this: some waves will never, I repeat NEVER let you go if you continue to fight it. We are humans. We are weak. We are no match for a powerful river, in and of ourselves alone. But thank God for HIS power. It is in our weakness that HE is made strong. We are just customers on this trip of life, and God is supposed to be our Guide. As a river guide, I know that if customers listen, and do what they are told, it's guaranteed that they will have a great time. if not, who knows? Could be ok, could be REALLY bad.
Listen to your Guide. He is telling you what to do. HE is constantly reminding you of where to go. It is up to us to LISTEN.
And when you're in the midst of it all . . . in that powerful wave . . . and all you want to do is fight . . . you get that breath, and it keeps you fighting because you've tasted a little bit of victory over that wave. You fight and fight and fight until your body is totally worn out, you have NOTHING left . . .
|
. . . and you're still in it.
|
My friends . . . listen to your Guide. HE is telling you how to fix it. All you have to do is listen. HE is watching you fight that losing battle with no help, all alone, by yourself. All you have to do is listen. HE is watching you suffer. HE can see the fear in your eyes, the panic. All you have to do is LISTEN. He's been telling you all along...
|
|
