Putting Both Oars In

Ecclesiastes 4:9

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.

It was the week before school was going to start. I didn’t feel ready to throw in the towel on summer yet; I still had some fight left in me. So one day I threw the kids in the car and told them we were going on an adventure. They love surprises.

We pulled up to a park we go to often. They screamed, “The park, yay!” Little did they know there was more. You see, at this park they have a place where you can rent canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards. How fun!

So we all went in. The kids were pretty excited that we were gonna do something different. As I signed my life away on the release form, they were gearing up with their life jackets and oars.

Step one was to get into the boat. I just knew that someone was secretly videoing us on their phone. Yes, there were four getting in this canoe. Two of my three kids were there (4 and 9) and we had brought along my 15-year-old cousin. None of them had ever done this before.  Needless to say, we got in very slowly. We started out pretty wobbly, everyone getting their bearings, moving with the water.

Draw Near to Him

I told everyone, “You all just sit still and I’ll start paddling. Once we get out a little, we will get settled and I’ll let you all help.”

When leaving, the store clerk told us where we could go explore. In this area, there wasn’t much boat traffic. We could see other adventures ahead. We knew we were going in the right direction. We were good.

Pretty quickly into the trip, my little boy was eager to help. I handed him his oar. He paddled, or splashed or . . . whatever. He thought he was getting us where we needed to go.

Soon, all oars were in. The boat was going every which direction. Once I saw I needed to get us back on track, I told the kids, “Y’all are more than welcome to help, but just don’t put your oar in very deep.”

You see, I knew that the deeper the oars were in the water, the more push they would give to the boat. The less water they pushed the better.

This got me thinking about this upcoming season. The school year starting, the activities starting up.

A lot of oars were gonna be in the water.

When school starts, it’s kind of like January 1st for us moms. It’s a time where we can push the reset button. Regroup. Be intentional with what we are doing, in our own lives and with our families.

The Lord has a destination for us, for this season, and like our canoeing adventure, we can get too many oars paddling our canoes.

The only way for a canoe to get to its destination is for there to be two oars deep in the water, paddling evenly on both sides. If one is paddling shallow, the boat is going to turn. And if there is only one paddle in, the boat is going to go in a circle, never getting anywhere.

If we join in on this journey with Him, He will be our guide.

Are you putting both oars in: you and Jesus?

Are you paddling with Him?

Are you being intentional with your friendships, your activities, your time with your family?

Draw near. Be intentional. Let Him draw near to you.

James 4:8

Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.

How far are you gonna put your paddle in?

Are you willing to see where the two of you can get together?

{linking up here}

1 thought on “Putting Both Oars In”

  1. What an inspiration! I want to make sure I am paddling with Jesus & not working hard but just making my canoe just go in circles!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Question? 

We're here to help you!

CONTACT US

This is the one thing that will help you find what you need.

Drop us your name and email so that we can send you the Align Life Strategy workbook. 

Scroll to Top