Once you’re in the rapids, it’s too late to plan. Planning occurs in smooth waters. We waste time in smooth waters. We relax in the sun and look around at the scenery. We need moments of relaxation, but God provides those times to rejuvenate us for what’s coming next. We need to be attentive. God knows what’s ahead. He doesn’t need the sound of the crushing water or the sight of the churning rapids. He knows beyond the limits of our hearing and sight. God uses moments in smooth waters to rejuvenate us, renewing energy and strength in us…so we’ll be prepared.

We journey the river with others. Are we working with them in the smooth waters to prepare for rapids? Do you feel at a loss of what to do when in crisis? You enter the rapids, and your heart races. You try one thing. It doesn’t work. You try something else. It makes the situation worse. You’re in a raft with someone, both trying the best you can, but you’re not working together, which guides you straight into the most dangerous rapids, headed for the jagged rock or capsizing into hungry waters. You can’t hear each other screaming instructions. You can’t pry the oar out of your hands to gesture to each other. You can’t make eye content. Your focus is on the surrounding danger.

You somehow survive the rapids, soaked and exhausted. Now, you have a choice in how you use the next stretch of smooth waters.

Focus. Will you focus on what’s behind, blaming each other, or will you focus on what’s ahead? Reflecting on experiences can be helpful if your goal is to learn and move forward. When we get stuck in our trials, we’ll soon find ourselves in a similar situation. Refusing to reflect, learn, and move on results in unproductive repetition.

Focus on what’s ahead. You may not know exactly what’s coming, but you can make plans to work together, watch out for each other, and trust each other. Trust comes with experience. Spend time together in the smooth waters. Getting to know each other will give you insight into how the other responds to stress. Share yourself. Know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so you can work together.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. – Ephesians 4:15-16

Heal. Trials leave us with sore muscles, raw emotions, and exhaustion. We’re bruised by getting knocked against rocks. We might need to paddle to the shore to bandage a cut or wrap a sprain. Admit your need for healing. God knows what you need to prepare you for the next trial, but you must approach him and fully rely on him. Spend time in his care. Ask him and then allow him to heal and comfort you.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Train. Condition your muscles. Work through soreness. Stretch. Work together, testing what works and what doesn’t. Turn your oars in different directions at different depths to become familiar with the tools you have. God will always provide tools and resources for you to use. He will help us use them effectively, but we must be willing to be instructed. We must listen and then try, so we’re sure we heard correctly and can apply what we heard. Then, we’ll need to listen and try again and again. Training is a process.

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. – 1 Corinthians 9:25-26

You approach another set of rapids, and your heart races. Will your time in the smooth waters affect your experience in these rapids?