The Not so Lazy River Part 2

When I chose to become a Christ follower, I hopped in the river with little or no preparation, planning, or knowledge of what lay ahead. I just expected that someone else who had traveled the road before me would help lead the way. I packed up my bible, laid it on my night stand and attended church with little regard to the change it would require me to make. For a while, life was fine and I floated along quite peacefully. Then I started to hit lower waters and my inadequate faith, poor relationship with the God and sin started to trip me up. I was stuck and didn’t know how to get myself out. The Christian life is anything but a lazy river adventure. After we become Christians, we can’t expect that we can just jump in the river and not encounter things that life throws at us. What we can expect is that Christ has given us the wisdom, power and help we need to overcome these hurdles. The catch is that we have to utilize the things He has given us BEFORE we encounter trouble.

The entire chapter of Hebrews 12 is a study in the fervency in which I should pursue my faith. Hebrews 12:1b starts by saying, “… let us also lay side every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Just as there were preparations I should have made for my river trip, there are preparations I need to make in my Christian walk. One of the preparations I can make is to let go of the things that are going to get me caught up as I travel along. Sin not only slows me down, but it can hold me back. Thankfully, God does not require us to have all our sins taken care of before we become his children, and there will always be more sin to remove as we travel the Christian life. However, bitterness, preferring the delights of the flesh and refusing to listen to the Holy Spirit are essential hindrances we need to get rid of first. They can keep us from even getting started in the first place.

Throughout the chapter, the author also describes things that trip us up. These are things that could cause me to slip and fall if my feet weren’t properly prepared (like being stranded in the river without proper footwear). Eph 6:15 says to, “shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Any hiker, soldier or runner knows that without proper footwear it is impossible to finish the race. Our proper footwear is to be prepared with the gospel of peace. One commentary suggests that it is the, “patient investigation, calm inquiry, assiduous, laborious, lasting; or with firm footing in the gospel of peace.” In other words, we should know the word of God. If we were armed with the knowledge of the gospel, discouragement, weariness, hostility of others toward the faithful, the discipline of the Lord and burdens of afflictions would not trip us up. We would know their place in our walk and be able to grip tightly to His truth. The commentary concludes by saying, “like the boots worn by soldiers, [the gospel] would bear them safe through many obstructions and trials that might be opposed to them, as a soldier might encounter sharp-pointed thorns that would oppose his progress.” I certainly learned that lesson not only in the river and discovered the value of being properly shod.

Then verse 12 says, “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,.” This is an interesting passage and I had to do a little research to discover its meaning. One commentary said that the words are an address to persons almost worn out with sickness and fatigue, whose hands hang down, whose knees shake, and who are totally discouraged. These are exhorted to exert themselves, and take courage, with the assurance that they shall infallibly conquer if they persevere. During the course of our river adventure, my sisters and I were constantly encouraging one another to continue on, calling back where the safe paths were to travel and waiting until we had all caught up. At the end when only one of us was left, she alone soldiered on. Our faithful sister worried so much that she didn’t even notice the wounds she received on the way. Sometimes in our walk we need to just take courage and keep moving.


Verses 13 says, “and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. “ That is, take the straight path that is before you, do not go in crooked or rough ways, where are stones, briers, and thorns, by which you will be inevitably lamed, and so totally prevented from proceeding in the way; whereas, if you go in the even, proper path, though you have been wounded by getting into a wrong way, that which was wounded will be healed by moderate, equal exercise, all impediments being removed. We certainly had taken the wrong path in our adventure when we tried to exit the river and without proper footwear, I did encounter thorns that made me unable to continue. Had we kept on the river, we would have discovered we only had to walk a few hundred feet or more to the end.

Finally, verse 15 says, “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God;” Thankfully, my sisters and I did something right on our trip. We traveled together. When we travel together with other believers, we help pull each other along and watch out for trouble.

The Christian walk is an adventure, but it shouldn’t be all rock and no river. If we are properly prepared in our relationship with God, we can withstand anything the river throws at us.