Word of Encouragement

Chapter two of MAKE YOUR BED

Get a paddle buddy. In training for Navy Seals, men would be put on a team of six to paddle a raft often through the night and deliberately in inclement weather. Over the many weeks of training it was inevitable that someone would get sick. You could not just sit out the exercise, but if you are sick, it is clear to everyone that you cannot pull your weight. When one seal recruit was weak, the rest stood up and became stronger. They pulled him along because they knew that at any time they might need the help. If you have ever paddled a canoe for an entire week, day after day in inclement weather, you know how important it is to have the right paddle buddy. The wrong person doesn’t help. They complain that it is too hard, or that the weather is terrible, or the wind too strong or the waves too high, or even that they wish they would never have come along. The right paddle buddy just gets stronger when you need them. They rest when you work and you rest when they work. Sometimes they are even a stronger paddler than you are. So it is in life, in our family, and in the church. It is important to surround ourselves with the right partners.