Helmets and Life Vests

Whew.

My husband and I relaxed after the unexpected adrenalin rush. Although neither of us had expected to flip our kayaks, we had each taken an unplanned swim through white water rapids. Now that we were back on our boats, we enjoyed the kingfishers flying over our heads and the warm sunshine as we floated down the river.

The river guide who had helped us launch had said the take-out point would be immediately past a bridge that crossed over the river. She told us that shortly before we reached that bridge, we would encounter Blackberry Falls, a Class II+ rapid.

Now that we’d already traversed what we thought was Blackberry Falls, we expected to see the bridge any second.

As we stared ahead, looking for our take-out point, we chatted and laughed a little about our unexpected adventure.

“There’s the bridge!” I announced, “We’re almost…”

Then I stopped mid-sentence.

We both saw the rapids at the same time.

Several thoughts ran through my head, but I remember one clearly: 

Oh, no. I should have put on my helmet and life vest when I had a chance.

I glanced back at the helmet and vest securely attached under bungies at the rear of my kayak, but the current was already pulling me toward menacing rocks, so I needed to paddle. It was too late to put on my armor.

[bctt tweet=” It was too late to put on my armor.“]

I prayed for help.

Sorry, Lord, that I didn’t put on the protection You provided for me. Forgive me for being foolish. Please help Mike and me safely navigate these falls.

Then I paddled as vigorously as I could, aiming for what appeared to be the best path between the rocks.

I thought I was going to make it. I was centered and sitting up straight when I went over the drop. Then “bam,” I hit a wave that immediately stopped the forward motion of my kayak. The kayak flipped over, tossing me into the water.

Been here before, I thought as I snatched a quick breath before being rolled under the waves.

Later I read about this rapid in americanwhitewater.org, which states that Blackberry Falls “ends in a haystack that tends to stop and flip those who air-brace, rudder, or otherwise don’t paddle. You know, beginners.”  A haystack is a tall standing wave caused by fast water ramming into slow water. A beginner is—me.

Thankfully, the turbulence ended before I needed another breath. I swam to shallow water, stood up, and looked upstream as my husband entered the falls. He also hit the wall of water, which caused his kayak to flip. When he came up for air, he scooted his kayak toward the bank and guided it to quiet waters.

Meanwhile, my kayak bobbed upside-down in an eddy at the base of the rapid.

My husband pushed his kayak toward me so I could ride it to the take-out point, then he waded upstream toward the eddy. He successfully nabbed my kayak, rolled it over, and crawled in.

A minute later, we paddled onto the beach, incredibly thankful that we had only sustained a few bruises.

    *     *      *     *     * * *

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog series, I shared details about falling out of my kayak in an earlier rapid. What I didn’t tell you is that I wasn’t wearing my helmet or life vest.

Considering I ended up falling out of the boat a second time at Blackberry Falls, you probably think, “What an idiot!” I agree. But I’m swallowing my pride to share this embarrassing fact because my foolishness demonstrates an essential spiritual lesson.

When we got on the river that morning, the gal at the outfitters told us that we had to have a life vest and helmet in the boat, but only children under twelve were required to wear them.

Then she told us the river was low, so only two places had notable rapids.

 “The last rapid is definitely the biggest. But you can portage around it pretty easily,” she said, inferring we could see it far enough ahead to get off the river.

I looked around. No other adults were wearing life vests.

I thought, “I’m a strong swimmer. I’ve navigated canoes and kayaks in lakes. I’ve taken rubber rafts down whitewater rapids much bigger than these. Plus, if it looks bad, I’ll just carry my kayak around it. I won’t need any safety gear.”

So, in my pride, I strapped the helmet and vest onto the back of my kayak and hopped in.

The prior blogs documented the earlier portion of our trip during which I navigated several sections of whitewater, and got thrown out of the boat at what I assumed was Blackberry Falls.

After that first dump, I thought about putting on the protective gear. But it seemed like too much trouble considering we were only minutes from our take-out point and didn’t anticipate more whitewater. Plus, it was a hot day, and the vest and helmet might be uncomfortable. In the end, convenience won out.

Pride and laziness prevented me from putting on protective gear because I thought I wouldn’t need it. I was wrong. The last set of rapids caught me unaware.

On the drive home, I started thinking about daily quiet times and memorizing Bible verses. In some ways, they are like a helmet and a life preserver.

A helmet protects my brain from being damaged by a secular society’s ungodly and turbulent influences. I never know when the onslaught will happen.

A life vest keeps me afloat when trials and tribulations knock me down and I find myself sputtering for air.

The following verses emphasize the importance of storing God’s words in my heart and mind.

        I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11 ESV)

        Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. (Deuteronomy 11:18 ESV)

I should attach God’s Words to my mind to prepare for what lies ahead. I should store my Bibles in my heart, not on a shelf.

For example, at the moment someone hurts me, Bible verses can only help me if they are already in my heart. My natural inclination is toward unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, and vengeance. God’s word, hidden in my heart, enables the Holy Spirit to help me respond with forgiveness and gentleness while trusting God to work all things together for good.

Likewise, when I am discouraged and afraid of failing, I may want to give in to self-destructive behaviors that help me forget my problems for a few minutes. But with God’s Word hidden in my heart, I’ll remember that God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV). That may be enough to keep me afloat until my emotions calm down.

 Unread Bibles are no more protection than a helmet strapped to the back of a kayak.

[bctt tweet=” Unread Bibles are no more protection than a helmet strapped to the back of a kayak..”]

Maybe you’ve skirted disaster (like me) and only got bruised when you could have taken a serious hit. But we don’t know when we will encounter rough waters, so it’s better to be prepared.

Let’s be wise by refusing to allow pride or laziness to prevent us from arming our hearts.

[bctt tweet=” Let’s be wise by refusing to allow pride or laziness to prevent us from arming our hearts.”]

God provides protective gear for us, but we have to put it on before the battle for it to be of help.