God, the Nile River and Me

There I was. My secret was out. I was floating in the middle of the Nile River and not able to go anywhere. Not only could I not swim, I couldn’t fake it even with a life jacket on.

My guide became concerned upon learning this. He asked me if I REALLY wanted to go through with the rafting trip. I mean, there were only Class 4 and Class 5 rapids ahead of us. The highest classification is 6! Did I really want to risk it? Well…when else was I going to be in Uganda, at the headwaters of the Nile River, with an opportunity to raft them? Of course I was going to go through with it!

We started out just fine. Easy rowing. Me in the front of the raft feeling good about myself. We made it through our first set of rapids fine. I was not concerned. Then we flipped. The entire raft flipped over. There was no way to avoid getting in the river.

I remembered what I was told. “Keep your legs up.” “Lay flat.” “Wait till someone in a kayak can come and grab you.” It seemed like I was under for at least a minute. I was told it was 5 or 6 seconds. It was an experience unlike any I’ve had. I was completely in submission to the river. I had no control. I had no say. The river took me exactly where it wanted me.

Our raft didn’t just flip the one time. It flipped again, and I was thrown from the raft another time besides that. I was in the heart of Class 5 rapids in the Nile River three times within a few hours. I would be completely submerged only to burst forth through the surface to the greeting of the sun beating down on me. We “conquered” many rapids that day in our little raft, but three times we did not. The river conquered us and it was great.

During the middle of our trip we had a lull of a couple of hours of calm water. During that time we ate fresh cut pineapple and watermelon, waded in the water and talked about life. I spent some of that time reflecting.

I was thinking about what an amazing adventure I was having on the river. It was something I never thought I would do, was wholly unprepared for and was loving every minute of it. I loved the scenery and I loved being tossed from the raft. In those moments where I was in the middle of raging white water I learned what submission to God is supposed to be like.

I totally gave up control of myself to the river when I was in it. I had no say. I simply went where it sent me. I looked back over God’s activity in my life and realized it was very similar. I never thought I would become a Christian. Once I did I realized how totally inept I was at it, and since that time I’ve loved every minute. I’ve gone on an adventure I never imagined. Because of my Christianity I have: changed careers, done youth ministry, gone to college, served orphans and lepers in India, served a church in inner-city Los Angeles, raised thousands of dollars to build water wells in Africa, tried to live incarnationally on a collge campus, discipled peers, served war refugees in Uganda and served slum children in Kenya. I have now begun seminary, am married to a Christian and work at a homeless shelter in LA County. This is NOT the path I intended for my life. It is completely the path God has led me on.

Who knows what will be next? All I know is that it will be an adventure. Be it the Nile River or God, I’ve come to realize I’m in for the experience of a lifetime.

If you want to see proof I did it check it out! Jimmy and the Nile