The resort we were at was fantastic and we enjoyed our time away – if you ever have the urge to vacation in Mexico, we have a place we would highly recommend. We swam every day, worked out at the gym, played golf, went for walks, frequented the ice cream shop and even bought some double chocolate coconut … things, that were fabulous.
One activity on the resort is the “Lazy River” – most of you have seen these. They built a large, circular canal through a section of the resort and they have underwater jets that push the water flow in one direction. They give you inner tubes to sit in and you can just float around the river all day long, enjoying the calm, relaxing drift as you sit in your inner tube, close your eyes, and float around the canal as the water pushes you around the resort.
As strange as the thought is, and it happens when I am on vacation, I suddenly had this thought of comparing my little float around the resort to how God works in my life. As cheesy as this metaphorical image is, these were my random thoughts:
- The inner tubes reminded me of God’s Word and specifically Psalm 119:11: “Thy word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against Thee.” As I was sitting in the inner tube it was literally carrying me around the lazy river; I was fully supported by its ability to keep me out of the water. God’s Word does the same thing. As I put my life into His Word and His Word is in me it carries me and protects me and gives my spiritual life some buoyancy as I rest in the confidence of His truth and promises.
- In my strange vacation mindset I thought the the river itself was a reminder of the Spirit of God. As long as I was in the tube (representing His Word) the water (reminding me of the Spirit) carried me along throughout the resort. Of course I had to go where the water took me and while I could paddle around and move to different areas I was being dependent on the tube and the water to move me forward.
- Together these were an interesting reminded of the Christians life. Some people in the lazy river got out of their inner tubes and went the opposite direction than the water jets were pushing the water. They walked and swam against the current and where everyone else was going. While there is a lot of different directions you could illustrate with that idea I was reminded that I often want to get out of the tube (God’s Word) and walk in the opposite direction the water was going (metaphorically the Holy Spirit) and do my own thing. In a water park that kind of thing was fun; in the Christian life it means we are NOT resting or trusting in the Word and we are walking against the gentle movement of the Spirit of God moving where He wants me to go.
