The Rapids of Life

The Rapids of Life

May 22, 2018

    Life has been compared to many things, and one thing has been rivers. Rivers are the veins of life in many countries of the world bringing freshwater to people for drinking and farming and many other things. In Costa Rica we did a river raft trip down the Pacuare River, which is supposed to be one of the top five best rivers to raft in the world.

    On this river raft trip we were first picked up at our hotel and we drove an hour to the river. In the bus we were told all the safety rules and what to do. We were told different things to listen for from the raft guide, such as ‘forward,’ ‘back left,’ and ‘get in!’ These are all commands that we learned and we hoped we would remember them on the rafting trip.

     We got to the river and were assigned a raft guide. We were given our gear; a life jacket, paddle, and a helmet. We then got into the raft and down the river we went. This is where our journey started. We

went through a small rapid and to us it felt large because it was our first one! After it the raft guide stopped along the shore and told us the commands again, explaining them again and clarifying them. It made more sense as we practiced it on the river instead of trying to imagine it in the van. We were told all the commands and practiced each one just in case.

     We let the other rafts in our group catch up and then we headed down the river. It was a blast! Simple rapids throwing us around, getting wet every time and we were having so much fun. We listened as best as we could to the raft guide because we didn't want the raft to tip. Even on the simplest of rapids we had to listen exactly to the guide to make sure we didn't get stuck against a rock and flip. Ivy and I were on the front because the strongest paddlers needed to be in the front. It was hard to hear the raft guide over the raging rapids but we listened intently so we knew when to paddle and when not to.

    We then came to some larger class 3 rapids. There were class 1 to class 4 rapids on the river with class 5 being the hardest. On the class 3’s and 4’s there were times the raft guide yelled “get in!” We would immediately jump into the raft and hold on.

    There were also times on the river where there were no rapids and we were able to jump in and swim. When the guide said get back into the raft though we had to listen immediately and get back in.

    During these times when we swam in the river we also practiced saving people in case someone fell in the river. The person closest to whoever fell in would be the one saving them. Luckily we had a good team in our raft and even through the hardest of rapids no one fell in. We would look behind us and watch other rafts go down the rapids and watch as some tourists fell in and struggled to get back into the raft in such dangerous situations.

    Overall the rafting trip was amazing, and just like life it has its calm spots and it's rapids. I'd like to compare our rapid trip to our lives now. First, before this life, and during, we are given the instructions to spiritually survive life and how to return to Heavenly Father. Before the river we were told instructions of what to do and what to expect just as we were in the pre-earth life.

     When we got on the river though it was a little trickier to remember and to apply what we learned. The river itself I compare to life, with calm times and tough times, both for our good. If we were thrown into a raft without a guide I know our raft would have tipped. Also, if we weren't given the right gear we may have gotten injured or killed. With life jackets, helmets and a paddle though we felt safe and unfearful.

    In life we are given safety gear to help us out, just like a type of armor of God. Our life jackets keep us afloat in difficult times, just as reading the scriptures gets us through hard times. Our helmets protect our heads from boulders and unseen objects in the water, which may be like the Holy Ghost watching and protecting us. Our paddles are like our testimonies, only good when we use them, and can benefit the entire raft not just ourselves.

    The river guide was like the word of God, or the prophet in a way. When he said back left or back right to steer us from an object we listened and obeyed and were saved in the rapids. The better we listened the better off we were. It was just as the word of God which comes from the mouths of prophets or from scriptures. We need to heed to their words and listen carefully to keep from straying from the Gospel. When the guide, or the prophet, says get in and hold on, then do it! Don't hesitate because you may be swept into the water.

    Yes, sometimes there are times in our lives that are calm and smooth, and so we just swim and float on by. Although those moments may be fun in the river, they're not the reason why we do the river rafting. We didn't come to life to just float on through. We came here to go through the rapids, to experience hard things and to experience the joy through it all.

Romans 5: 3-5

    3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
    4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
    5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

D&C 122: 7

    And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

So welcome the rapids of life, just remember to listen to the words of God as you go through these rapids and “get in!” When it gets tough. What do I mean by that? As the raft guide said to get into the raft, the Lord says, stay in the Church, immerse yourself in the Gospel, and get in!

Brigham Young quotes:

Why do people apostatize? You know we are on the “Old Ship Zion.” We are in the midst of the ocean. A storm comes on, and, as sailors say, she labors very hard. “I am not going to stay here,” says one; “I don’t believe this is the ‘Ship Zion.’” “But we are in the midst of the ocean.” “I don’t care, I am not going to stay here.” Off goes the coat, and he jumps overboard. Will he not be drowned? Yes. So with those who leave this Church. It is the “Old Ship Zion,” let us stay in it (DBY, 85).

    We need to stay in the ship, or raft in our case, cling onto in and help move it forward with our testimonies. We have to work together on this as well. We need to all paddle together, work together, because if anyone begins to slacken their load or paddle the opposite way then we may be doomed to flip.

    Another thing the raft guide said was that most injuries weren't from rocks or the river, but from each other's paddles. As funny as that may sound I believed it. As we all jumped in or avoided hitting our paddles on rocks the handles would fly at faces. These injuries are completely unintentional by others, but they still happen. We were told to never let go of the end of the paddle for this reason. In life sometimes we are injured by others we know or may love and this may turn us away from the church. The injuries may have been caused unintentionally and on accident, so do not get offended and let them drive you out of the raft! Don't jump overboard just because you got a little bloody nose! Stay in the raft for there you will be safe.

    We know this is the Church which God has set up upon the earth, this is the ‘Old Ship Zion’, and we need to stay in it no matter the storm or rapids we go through. We know this because of the trials and rapids in life we have been through and which have been made easy or bareable. This is Christ’s Church!