I'm Sufficient for You

This was my journal entry, from my first whitewater rafting trip in Colorado about 6 years ago, which later became part of my Thirty-One Day Devotional for Women - "What Did He Say About Me?"  I wanted to share this because I'm going to follow it up with a new entry and tell you what God showed me on my most recent whitewater trip just a few days ago. 

What Did He Say About Me?


Day 10 – “I’m Sufficient for You”



Daily Scripture

II Corinthians 12:9 AMP

But He said to me, My grace [My favor and loving-kindness and mercy] is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect [fulfilled and completed] and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ [the Messiah] may rest [yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell] upon me!



Daily Devotion



This is going to be a long devotional, but I feel compelled to be extremely detailed. Recently, I had an incredible adventure! I went to Colorado Springs, CO for the first time. I was able to go horseback riding in the mountains for 2 hours and then immediately after, was able to go whitewater rafting for the first time. The horseback ride was challenging, but I knew how to handle the horse aspect, especially growing up riding! However, the whitewater rafting was a whole other world that I had no knowledge of in the least.

A few years back I went kayaking with my Aunt Rosemary, but it was a rubber kayak and the water was in no way as rough as what I was about to take on. Upon my arrival, I was given a wet suit and boots and fitted for a life jacket. I could barely breathe in Colorado, let alone have a life jacket that was squeezing the life right out of me. I had to adjust! I was praying for the Lord to just help me breathe.

We loaded up in the bus that would take us to the river entrance to embark on my 4 hour rafting trip. Yes, I signed up for 4 hours on the river! I just thought we were going to put our raft in the river and go. Well, that is not what happened in the least.

We all got a detailed talk on the way to the river and then when we arrived, we did as we were instructed – we unloaded the rafts! They were so heavy! Being oxygen depleted made it even more difficult! Yet, I was part of a team and every one of us had to contribute! We unloaded the rafts and set them on land. We began to practice, on land!!! I thought to myself…how weird.

We would have to get in the boat and fake paddle and then our guide would yell out something like high right or right side and those of us sitting on the left would have to move quickly to the right. Then he’d say center and quickly we’d move to the center. No sooner as we got settled in center…he’d yell “left.” Quickly everyone was moving to the left!

We then got the chat about how we were all a team and needed to move when we were told to move. He then said this, “when we go through the rapids and you are in position to paddle, keep your paddled connected with the current. Sink it deep he said!” He said, “The paddle connected with the current will keep you in the raft!”

First of all, by this time I was scared out of my mind! I thought this was going to be a fun adventure. I didn’t realize the danger! Second of all, I thought you sat in the raft, not on the side of the raft. Something was wrong I thought. How in the world am I going to be able to stay in the raft if I’m sitting on the side of the raft, and not get bounced out of it when we hit the rapids? All these questions were flying in my head like a tornado.

As we finished our land practice, we began to load our raft in the water. As we got in the water and set our positions I was actually able to catch my breath and relax for a few minutes taking in the beautiful scenery. Our guide then began to instruct us to practice while the water was calm. So we began the once again tedious task of finding positions when our guide yelled out the various instructions.

I was actually really terrified now that we were in the water, knowing there was no way I was getting out of this one! I was going through this, and was at the point of no return. We got to relax a bit more after our guide thought we would be able to handle these rapids.

Then, our practice was over, we were ready to actually experience this as our guide called out “rapids ahead.” I tensed up in fear! I could hear them, but I couldn’t see them. My limitation of sight caused this fear in my heart that I couldn’t describe. Finally, the rapid came into view, our paddles were down deep in the current and there we went.

What do you know, the guide was right!!! The paddle, when kept in the current really does keep you in the raft! All of a sudden through that experience, I began to not fear, and lighten up so I could really enjoy this trip. God’s strength was made perfect in my weakness.

What was my weakness? Lack of experience! Many individuals have knowledge. After all, I “heard” what I was supposed to do and I could have reiterated that to someone else easily, yet I had no experience to back it up. In the spiritual sense, experience with God gives us wisdom. Knowledge is not wisdom!

As I continued on this rafting trip, God showed me something so amazing. He showed me that even when we encounter trials and hardships that life bring us, we must keep our paddles (our lives) connected with the current (Jesus) in those storms. Some storms are small, some storms are huge.

The rapids started out small, but the experience of getting through the smaller ones, gave us “experience” enough to handle “The Widow Maker.”

The Widow Maker was our final rapid on this course and let me tell you, I have the pictures to prove that this rapid was tough! Yet, I knew that God’s grace would be sufficient – even in danger, just like our daily scripture says. His grace is His ability.

I was so trusting in God through this rafting trip because of my lack of both knowledge and experience in this area. God showed me that the problem with most people that follow Him is that they don’t stay connected to Him in the storms of life, instead they remove their paddle from the current and then they are just tossed into the blender of life, and then to make it worse, they actually blame Him.

It’s not God making your life miserable or causing bad things to happen to you. How could we trust Him if He was the cause of our pain and hurt? It doesn’t make sense. Life happens! If we would have removed our paddles from the current while going through any of those rapids, we would have all fallen out of the raft! We need to stay connected to the current (God) so that we can go through the rapids of life. Let the power of Christ rise up in you by staying connected. Through staying connected with Him, you will experience; not just have knowledge, but experience, that He really is sufficient!