Trust the Guide: A Life Lesson from Whitewater Rafting

What is the most terrifying thing that you have ever done? Is it something you would do again?

For me, that terrifying thing was going whitewater rafting last summer.

If you know anything about me, you know that I don't enjoy swimming– I prefer wading or standing in the water if I have to go in.

You are probably wondering, Why did you even go whitewater rafting?

I was a leader in my church's student ministry and we went to a week-long, high school, Christian conference. Whitewater rafting was our group bonding activity. (Crazy, am I right?!)

Since I had never gone before, I thought I at least had to try it.

So I did.

And I'm NEVER doing it again!

But, at least I can say I did it!

Now, imagine you are in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. You are carrying your raft– along with two others plus your guide– into a river full of whitewater rapids.

You anxiously clamber into the raft at the instruction of your guide, and then take in the beauty of the mountains stretching up into the sky as you begin to float down the river. You are then shaken back into reality as you hear your guide giving you directions on how to react to certain commands, which he then has you practice until perfected.

The water is calm at this point, but you can see up ahead, just around the bend that it is starting to boil– the first of many, many, many rapids. Dread and anxiety begin to increasingly bubble up inside of you...What have I gotten myself into?

It also does not help that the world around you is slightly blurred– you did not wear your glasses since you did not want them to get broken. This reality has left you feeling slightly disoriented.

When you arrive at the first set of rapids, you frantically obey the commands of your guide as he tells you to sit down low into the bottom of the raft– did I mention that you sit on the edge of the raft for most of the ride?

The water of this first section of rapids pummels you, continuously soaking and pouring over you and into the raft. Your guide then parks your raft into one of the rapids as you anxiously and unhappily sit and watch other rafts go by. It's barely been five minutes of this expedition, but you are already wanting to be done– praying feverishly that you will somehow survive the next two, grueling hours.

For the entire time I was on that river, I was utterly terrified and incredibly anxious.

But one thing I kept telling myself– the thing that got me through it– was this: Trust the guide. Trust the guide. He knows the river, and he won't steer us into danger.

In life, God is our guide, and He is the one we must trust. He is trustworthy because He knows everything and He created everything!

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. - Proverbs 3:4-5 (KJV) -

The best way that we can learn to trust God is by developing a relationship with Him.

I had a difficult time trusting my guide during that whitewater rafting adventure because I didn't know him. I had literally met him five minutes before entering the river with him.

To ease my anxiety, I asked my guide questions– I tried to get to know him. I asked him how long he had been a whitewater rafting guide (10 years, he told us). I asked him what made him want to be a guide (he had grown up whitewater rafting, loved outdoor adventures, and had worked for outdoor adventure stores).

I now understood that he knew what he was doing because he had the experience and the passion for his job. This made it easier to trust him.

Now the question is, how do we develop a relationship with God?

Well, we read the Bible and pray to Him daily.

This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. - Joshua 1:8 (CSB) -

Like I said before, the whitewater expedition was about two hours long. I didn't mind floating on the calm parts of the river; but every time we hit a section of rapids, I prayed and prayed and prayed that I would not fall out and that we'd survive until the next calm part. Though biggest prayer was that the next bend would be that last one so that I could be done with this insane river ride.

So when we drew close to the two-hour mark, I was starting to feel relief that this would soon be over. I looked ahead, with my disoriented vision, and saw what I thought– with a desperate hope– must be the final curve.

We made it! We're almost done!

But, in the split second after I had this thought, our raft hit a massive rapid and we went flying into the air!

Since I was so focused on what was up ahead, I missed seeing this patch of rapids.

The same thing can happen to us in life. We get so focused on what the future might hold– something that we have no control over or ability to know– that we often miss what is happening right around us. And sometimes end up in the exact place we never meant to be.

The next thing that I knew after we hit that rapid was that I was in the water—a place I NEVER wanted to be—and the raft was on TOP of me—a place it should NOT have been under ANY circumstance.

If you couldn't tell by now, I was not having a good time. I was under the raft. I was in the water. And oh, did I mention....I don't know how to swim.

As I looked out from under the raft, I pathetically 'swam' forward towards one of the girls from my raft— we all had fallen out. I reached out in desperation for her, hoping that she could save me. But she soon floated too far out of my reach.

We too so often reach out for things in life to save us from our fears, anxieties, and sins: shopping, dates, boyfriends, exercise, food, books, movies and shows. But these things are never able to save us.

There is only One thing that saves us...

At that point– with the open water all around me and the other girl out of my reach– the panic that had been bubbling up exploded out of me and turned into a deep and unsettling terror.

I was alone in the water, I couldn't swim, and I was out of reach from anyone or anything that could save me. I'm going to die.

But then suddenly, from behind, I felt something– no, someone– grab the strap of my lifejacket.

My terror then turned back into panic, before turning into sweet, anxious relief when the hand turned me around, revealing not only the raft– which was right behind me– but also the guide. He was still on the raft, and he was working to bring us all back to safety.

...God is the only One who can save us from our fears, anxieties, and sins. And He is always closer than we think.

Turn around right now, God is probably standing there ready to pull you back into His embrace– back into His way of life.

Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10 (NIV) -

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is theLORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6 (ESV, emphasis added) -

The guide let me cling to that raft for some time– I hung on as if my life depended on it– which allowed me a chance to recover and get my bearings back.

But then he said gently, "Sara, you have to let go so that I can pull you into the raft."

My brain panicked again. Let go! Are you crazy?! I'm going to float away and die if I let go!

But I had to let go of the raft to get pulled back in. I had to trust the guide.

Oftentimes, God asks us to let go of something so that He can fully save us from whatever sin, struggle, or fear we are drowning in. We have to trust God– the guide of our lives.

You have to let go and let God take control.

And so, I finally did as I was told. I trusted that my guide knew better than I.

I let go and let him pull me back into the raft. I was safe and was now able to help him pull the others back in– which he made me do!

After we are saved by God from our sins, He requires us to go and help Him save others who are lost and drowning in the darkness.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. - Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV, emphasis added) -

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. - Ephesians 5:8-10 (NIV, emphasis added) -

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:9 (CSB) -

Once I was back (safely!) in the raft, my guide had me help pull the other two girls back in.

I’m 99% sure that I was the most terrified person on that raft from that point out. Luckily, for me, my guide must have recognized my panic and terror because he calmly led us through the last sections of rapids– whereas other guides intentionally flipped their passengers into the water.

We all made it safely to the end of the long river excursion. And I'm happy to say that I survived to tell the tale.

As I said before, I will never be going whitewater rafting again, but I am glad that I did it. I learned a lot, and with God’s help, I conquered a fear.

Here is my challenge to you: Trust the guide– trust God.

Get to know God and spend time with Him daily in prayer and in reading His word– the Bible. He's probably standing right behind you anyway. Turn around and run to Him. Friend, He's got you!

And he [the prodigal son] arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants,^[c]‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. - Luke 15:20-24 (ESV, emphasis added) -

P.S. This is mainly for your entertainment.

I was re-watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with my brother a month or so ago and this scene played. It took me back to whitewater rafting. 😄