In Sync with The Spirit: Lessons from Whitewater Rafting

A few weekends ago, I took some of my students on a whitewater rafting trip on the Ocoee River in Tennessee. I had never been before, but we had a blast! If you have never been, I highly recommend it.

We needed three boats for our group, and I somehow ended up in the boat with all the girls who had never rafted before—it made for a great time. Our guide, Felix, was great and so patient with us as we went down the river.

Before we started the trip, Felix taught us the basics: how to paddle in unison with each other, paddle forwards and backward, and quickly get into the boat if we needed to protect ourselves. Quite frankly, we were terrible at paddling in unison. He would say, “Paddle forwards,” and we would be laughing or looking at the other boats and miss our cue. Or, he would tell us to paddle five times, and some of us would end up paddling three times while others paddled four. We were so out of sync that we just started going in circles!

Towards the end of our trip, Felix told us about a big rapid we were approaching. He said we could either do it the easy way or the extreme way, but if we chose the extreme way, there was a chance we would flip the boat if we didn’t do it right. Well, our little adrenaline-seeking boat decided we were all in on the extreme way—though I am not sure why we thought that was a good idea after the way we had been paddling! We hit the rapid entirely sideways, and there we went—all six of us out of the boat and into the river. I’ll admit, it was actually pretty funny once I realized I wasn’t drowning. But I’ve been thinking a lot about how life is like whitewater rafting. If we aren’t in sync with the Guide (the Holy Spirit), there’s a good chance we will get tossed out of the boat a time or two.

Felix knew every twist, turn, and rapid of the river and was constantly preparing us for what was ahead—just like the Holy Spirit knows where the paths we take will land us. It’s imperative to be in sync with Him. Galatians 5:25 tells us this exact thing: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Keeping “in step” means being attentive, responsive, and obedient to the Spirit’s guidance.

There are consequences to being out of sync with the guide. When we weren’t listening to Felix, we missed rapids, went in the wrong direction, and ended up out of the boat. Similarly, not listening to the Spirit’s guidance often leads to chaos, confusion, and even danger.

When you have five middle school girls in a raft trying to navigate a rapid, there is a lot of screaming and laughing. So, often, we wouldn’t hear our guide’s directions. I think this happens a lot in our spiritual lives, too. We are distracted with the rapids of life—whatever they may be—and we get out of sync with the Spirit, often leading to spiritual capsizing.

I didn’t realize how much of the heavy lifting the raft guides do on the trip down the river. Felix did everything he could to keep us on the right path and safe; he was constantly adjusting for the best route, even when we thought we were doing all the paddling. When we would mess up, our guide would adjust to get us back into the current. Similarly, the Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting, leading, guiding, and interceding for us. Still, we must be in sync with His voice. The Spirit provides peace in chaos, clarity in confusion, and strength in our weakness—but only if we listen and follow His lead.

In today’s society, it’s easy to get caught up in the distractions and demands of our time. Sometimes, the rapids make it really difficult to hear the Guide. This requires an adjustment: stopping, getting back in sync, and continuing on the journey.

I want to encourage you today to consider who is guiding your boat. Are you? Or is the Holy Spirit? Are you in sync with the Guide, or are you trying your best to navigate the rapids independently? He is willing to do the heavy lifting, but we have to be willing to listen to His voice.

Take a moment to reflect on your life today. Are there areas where you need to get back in sync with the Holy Spirit? Spend some time in prayer, listening to the voice of the Spirit. He knows every twist and turn ahead and is ready to guide you safely through.