Kayaking

19 April 2026

By Pastor Frank Liu - Mandarin Congregation Pastor

During our Pastoral Retreat in March, the whole team went kayaking together. From the photos, everyone looked relaxed and smiling, and everything seemed so calm and beautiful. But in reality, the journey included quite a few unexpected moments.

At one point, a speedboat passed by us, although the driver intentionally kept a distance and slowed down, the waves still caused our kayaks to shake. We had to work harder to adjust our direction and maintain our balance. On the way back, we encountered low tide, and what had been a smooth route suddenly became difficult. At one point, our kayaks even got stuck in sand. We had to get out into the water and use considerable effort to drag them out before we could continue moving forward.

Many times, our lives are like this. We carefully follow our own plans for the road ahead, yet often encounter unexpected situations beyond our control. But as the Psalmist says, “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (Psalm 77:19). Even when we cannot see clearly and feel unsettled, God is still guiding us. The storms are not something we can avoid, and the key is not whether there are storms, but whether the Lord is with us. When our circumstances begin to shake, what we need is not simply to try harder to steady the boat, but to trust more deeply in the One who has authority over the wind and the waves.