Overboard

So I've been somewhat ponderous about what I am going to post this week. I don't really have anything too reflective or insightful to talk about. Nevertheless (James hates that word by the way), we did have an amazing adventure this weekend that has me permanently addicted to the river.

So, we went white water rafting this weekend on the Arkansas River. We whipped, we thrashed, and we....crashed. Well, it wasn't so much of a crash as it was us getting stuck on a big rock in the middle of the river (aka "highsiding"). We were highsided (is that a word?) on a little boulder. We all heaved up to the highside of the raft; jumping, bouncing and hysterically laughing. Once we strategically removed ourselves from the rock, we shot across the water and my side of the raft jumped up onto a huge boulder. We all scrambled to the top of the raft and were suspended there like the boat-sinking scene in Titanic. After a few exciting seconds of more bouncing and someone yelling "This is fun", the guide calmly announced, "We're Gonna Flip". And that is exactly what we did. I fell straight backwards from the top of the rock into the depths of the mighty Arkansas. My life jacket popped me back out of the water and I swam, out of pure animal instinct, towards the shore. I flopped onto a rock and started cracking up. What an adrenaline rush! It was such a blast and was an adventure of a lifetime!

Thinking back on it, there are many times where I have fallen in life and was terrified of what I was going to hit. The more time I spend with God and learning to be more like Christ, the more laughing I do while I'm falling back. Not that falling is any fun when it pertains to life but I am thankful for every moment I get. Whenever I am going through a struggle or talk to someone having a hard time, I think of Job (not JOB but Job). I read straight through the book of Job during a really hard time in my life and learned life-long lessons. In Job 2:10, he says "Should we accept good from God, and not trouble?". Should we only accept blessings and happy times? Of course not. God gives us life (not happy, floating, romantic comedy life) but real life. Being a fallen person in a fallen world means that some of life is not going to be easy or good. But God is sovereign and he loves us more than we could ever imagine. Job 37:23, "The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress".

That is why the more I learn about God, the more faith I have. So when I am falling backwards, I laugh knowing that God has the best intentions for me; justice, love, power, and most importantly eternal life. And just like my life vest, Jesus pops me out of the water and helps me swim back to shore so I can continue on my journey.

Meanwhile....We did a little furniture restoration project this past week. With the minimal storage in our tiny kitchen, we needed some more space! We got this cute little island at an estate sale for $10.

Before...

And After...