An adventurous canoe trip reminds a teen that we jeopardize our spiritual welfare when we believe in our own invincibility instead of relying totally on Jesus.

Children tend to believe in their own invincibility. They can even disregard warnings, especially when they do not realize the consequences. Sometimes there are sad stories of those who have experienced the consequences.

When I was in the fifth grade, my family, along with some friends, took a canoe trip. We traveled by canoe through the morning and most of the day, except for rest stops. Every few hours the boys and I would get out at a sandbank and swim. One stop along the way, we were swimming without life jackets, and my dad told us to go put them on. So we ran back into the water with our life jackets on and continued our game of catch. We were starting to swim farther away from the sandbank when my parents told us to come back in. My mom told us that the current was strong, and we could get swept up very easily.

I didn't listen. I thought that I was a strong enough swimmer to ignore the warning from my mom. I believed I was invincible.

I started drifting slowly into the current. I could no longer feel my feet touch the sand beneath me. The current quickly swept me away. I was trapped. I wanted to cry out for help, but I refused. I didn't want to admit I was in trouble, but I was scared. I tried to fight it.

The current was growing stronger every moment. I could feel the current tugging at me, trying to pull me down. I clung tightly to the life jacket around my chest, hoping that someone would be able to help me. Terrified, I looked all around me. I found that there was a log within my reach. I grabbed hold of the log and hung on with all my strength.

Then I heard my mom's voice. She had seen me being carried away by the current. She saw me drifting downstream and was there to pull me out. She was there.

Reaching out to her outstretched hand, I grabbed at it tightly as I felt my body being torn away by the current. She told me to let go of the log because she had me and wouldn't let go. I trusted my mom, and she slowly pulled me up from the log. Then my mother held out her hands, and I flew into her arms. She had told me everything was going to be all right, and it was.

For me, this story portrays our journey with God. He gives us instructions, but often we don't listen. We think we're invincible, but we are not. Whether it is drinking, drugs, smoking, cheating, sex, lying, or gambling, we each can be swept away in our own currents, causing physical grief, pain, and hardship.

But God is the life jacket that keeps us floating; he will not let us sink. Without God and his Word, we would sink under the waves, struggling for air.