Today the water levels on the river were down a little bit from earlier this weekend, but the current was still rather swift (about 2.5-3 MPH). The owners of the SUP shop invited a group of us to go out for a mileage builder. The plan was to paddle downstream to the next harbor, and then back upstream against the fast current for a total of 8 miles round trip. The owner said, "It will be great training!" So I said, "Let's do it!"
There were some eddies in the water and some swells from a barge ahead of us, but otherwise it was a really easy paddle downstream. We were moving really fast and it only took us half an hour to get to the other harbor. But we all knew, going back was going to be much, much tougher.
What took us half an hour going downstream took us two and a half hours going upstream to get back to where we started. We felt like we were on a treadmill! When we finally got view of our turnoff, it seemed like a mirage because it felt like we'd never reach it. I was starting to get blisters on my hands and all of us were experiencing fatigue. But giving up was not an option. We had to keep paddling and keep our eye on our destination. If we stopped for even just a moment, we would lose a lot of the ground we had gained. Once we finally made it back, we felt stronger and felt like we could accomplish anything!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
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