The two most important moments in one's life on this earth are first,
When they are born,
And second,
When they learn why.
The river of life is a strong current.
It flows with great strength through the mountains and valleys of this existence.
You get to decide which direction you will face,
Upstream or down.
You decide whether to walk,
Swim or paddle against the current,
Or with it.
It doesn't matter,
Not to the river.
And either way you go,
The final destination is the same,
Into eternity.
Meaning,
There is no end.
There is no start to the river,
And there is no finish to it.
It flows in one continuous round,
Never beginning,
Never ending.
You now have the opportunity,
Today,
To experience the river,
And all the places it will take you.
It is a gift.
It is the present.
And it's your choice if you will fight it,
Walking against the current,
Frustrated with the current circumstances you are experiencing,
Or you can accept it,
Embrace it,
And allow it to take you to your next destination.
You may tell yourself,
But I'm going the wrong direction.
This river,
This life,
It's flowing the wrong way.
The direction the course already set out,
The mountains,
The valleys,
They can't possibly be placed correctly,
So the water knows exactly which way to go.
Can it?
Or does the water simply follow the course the earth has laid out for it,
And accepts its fore appointed path?
Have you ever seen water flow up a mountain?
No.
It accepts its path.
It understands that it will run its course,
And at some point,
It will return to the sky,
Only to be returned back to the earth as rain,
And then land to its mountain,
To its valley,
To its river,
And the process will continue forever and ever.
Stop fighting the current.
Men are that they might have joy.
Join the journey.
Join in the experience.
Join the opportunity to swim in the cool,
Refreshing waters of the river.
You can keep fighting the current,
Or you can simply turn around,
Lift your feet up,
And float with the flow,
Letting it take you to your next stop.
At some point,
It may seem like the river isn't moving,
Like there may be a dam ahead preventing the water's flow.
Be patient.
The river is still moving,
Be it ever so slowly.
Just ahead,
The rapids,
Waterfalls,
And white waters of life are waiting,
But you are prepared for them.
You have the energy to experience it.
Imagine,
If you will,
The circular river.
Hear the water.
See the reflection of the sun,
The clouds,
And the blue sky.
You are in a raft paddling down the river.
You are about to approach the raging rapids.
You brace yourself.
As you approach the first riffle,
You see another raft,
A man paddling ferociously against the flow of the river.
He is fighting against the current,
But with every paddle stroke he makes,
The river takes him further down the canyon.
He is exhausted.
As you pass him in your raft,
He glances over and gives a glaring expression,
As if to say,
Why is it so easy for him?
Why isn't he fighting like I am?
Why isn't he struggling and resisting the river?
The river takes us all to the next chapter in our lives.
Some get there faster,
Some slower,
But it doesn't matter.
The river always goes its way.
The current is far too strong and far too deep in most parts for any man to overpower it.
The river continues,
And each one of us is led to the point where the water returns to the sky and awaits the return,
Eventually,
Of all water.
Which way will you paddle?
Will you experience today floating down the river with your back facing downstream,
Never seeing what is ahead as the river takes you down the canyon,
Only seeing where you've come from,
Struggling with every stroke,
Desiring to return where you've already been?
Turn around.
See which direction the river is going.
Paddle with the flow.
Again,
The river doesn't care which way you are facing or paddling.
It will take you down the course either way.
It is during these times of submission that we regain the energy to concentrate on our true purpose,
Why you were born,
What your purpose is.
And it is simply this,
To experience the river,
To enjoy the journey and views,
Or to fight it,
To have animosity for it,
Or gratitude.
You get to choose your thoughts and actions,
But you can't choose the river.
There's only one,
Just like there's only one of you.
And you also get to choose the raft or vehicle you sit in to ride the river.
Choose a good one,
And repair it frequently.
You are only as good as the raft you are in.
Bring people along.
Find those paddling upstream.
Invite them to climb aboard with you.
Turn them around and help them experience the river facing forward.
Show them how to anticipate the coming waters,
Because you can now better see them.
And while you can't see all rapids,
Riffles and waterfalls that lie ahead,
You are better prepared for the ones you are currently experiencing,
Because you are facing the right direction.
