READING THE WATER
A PADDLING DEVOTIONAL
Here’s a rookie mistake that’ll get you swimming faster than you can say “yard sale”: trying to muscle your way through rapids instead of reading the water. New paddlers see white water and think, “I’ll just power through this chaos!” Meanwhile, experienced kayakers are scanning for the current’s natural flow, looking for the path the river wants to take them.
The current is always stronger than you are. Fight it, and you’ll end up wrapped around a rock like a soggy burrito. But learn to read it, trust it, and suddenly you’re dancing through obstacles that would’ve destroyed you five minutes earlier.
Life’s got plenty of rapids, and our instinct is usually to grab the paddle with white knuckles and fight our way through. Bad breakup? Power through it. Job loss? Muscle past the pain. Family drama? Just paddle harder! But what if there’s a better way?
In Isaiah 30:21, God says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” It’s like having the ultimate river guide whispering the best line through the chaos. And Proverbs 3:5-6 backs this up: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Jesus knew something about trusting the flow. When storms hit, he didn’t panic-paddle. When crowds pressed in, he didn’t fight his way out. He seemed to have this uncanny ability to read the current of what his Father was doing and flow with it.
This Week’s Challenge: Instead of powering through your next stressful situation, try pausing to “read the water” first. Ask yourself: What might God be doing here? What’s the natural flow I should be following instead of fighting against?
Questions for Reflection:
When you’re facing a difficult situation, what’s your typical response – to fight through it or to step back and look for a better path?
Describe a time when you tried to force your way through a problem. How might things have been different if you’d “read the current” first?
What would it look like for you to trust that God might be guiding you through your current challenges, even when you can’t see the way forward clearly?
Sometimes the best way forward isn’t the one you planned – it’s the one the current is offering.