“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Titus 3:5
When I was a little boy, my dad and I went canoeing down the Current River in southern Missouri. The water is crystal clear and ice cold, spring-fed with fast-moving rapids. It’s shallow in most areas so you can reach down and pick up the smooth rocks along the riverbed.
However, in some areas, the water turns a beautiful color of bright blue as you navigate through deeper waters.
We took many trips down this river, and I still remember our very first journey.
It was only a few minutes after we had put our canoe in the water when we saw some commotion up ahead. A tree had just fallen across the river and was smack dab in the middle of our way. To make things worse, the river was deep in this section and the water was moving fast under the tree.
Fortunately, a DNR officer was standing on the shore trying to warn everyone about this obstacle in the way and how to best navigate around it. Despite our best attempts to paddle away, we could not overcome the fast-moving rapids pulling us right toward the tree.
We couldn’t stop what was coming. The front of our boat hit the large branch, our canoe then turned sideways, tilted a bit to the left, and quickly started taking on water. Within seconds, the boat was completely submerged and sitting at the bottom of the river. I was trying desperately to grab onto a branch of the tree.
My dad jumped into action, he pulled me up out of the water, and toward the outstretched hand of this DNR officer who pulled me ashore. My dad made it out too.
Just a moment ago, we were sitting in a boat enjoying the warm summer day. The next, we were soaked from head to toe with ice-cold water standing on the shore. Life is like that sometimes.
Maybe you’ve been “dumped in the river” recently – your life totally upended. The way things used to be has come to an abrupt halt. If so, don’t lose hope.
The Bible says we have a Savior who comes to our rescue, not because of the righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy. His name is Jesus, and he can restore all things, redeem all things and he alone can rescue us from even the worst life can throw at us. Reach for his outstretched hand today. He will pull you ashore to safety.
After we dried off a bit and collected the oars that had floated downriver, the DNR officer waded into the water and helped my dad pull the canoe up from the bottom of the river. They dumped the water out and before we knew it, we were back on our way.
Our journey had been temporarily disrupted, but it wasn’t over yet.
Your journey is not over either. There is still more life up ahead.