The River Journey: Navigating the Way With Jesus

By Robin Holman Loy and Tara Hartley

What do the captain of a boat, an onion, last-minute trips to the grocery store, MM&I, the eight Rs, and fifty-two bus tickets to a women's event have in common? They are all part of this down-to-earth book, The River Journey: Navigating the Way with Jesus.

 

In this perceptive book, Tara Hartley and Robin Holman L

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mercy & Moxie
• Release date: Jun 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781945169540

Robin Holman Loy

Robin Holman Loy resides in a renovated general store and stagecoach stop in rural Pennsylvania with her husband Ted and their dog Meg. Although parenting is never over, Robin and Ted have raised their four children-Sarah, Rachael, Sam, and Andy-into adulthood. Robin has learned to navigate life's challenges through the daily discipline of prayerfully focusing on eternal living in the moment. That involves walking with Jesus moment by moment in His will and in His way, whether wearing her hat as a spouse, mother, friend, churchgoer, or a small-town attorney.

Book preview

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The River Journey

Navigating the Way with Jesus: A Parable

My scream echoes in the silence. My body is almost totally encased in a slimy bog of decayed undergrowth. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep my nose and eyes above the surface of the swamp. The more I struggle, the faster I slip down deeper into my demise. The island landscape mocks me. The lure of the unknown had drawn me further inland; I had felt it calling to me, calling me away from the river. Why did I follow?

Back in the beginning…

I cannot remember a time when I was not in the boat or involved with the river. My earliest memories take me back to life safely inside the boat floating on the water. My Captain was ever present on board the boat and all my comforts were provided. Others lived in the boat as well, and I remember laughing and playing with them. At that time, I didn’t have many responsibilities and spent most of my time daydreaming and leaning over the side to gaze through the water at shimmering gold nuggets.

As I grew older, my daydreams were interrupted by watching the Captain as He worked and oversaw the daily tasks performed on the boat. He was fascinating! Extreme fluidity made His intense work seem effortless as He balanced three main tasks. He directed the boat, supervised the work associated with the nets, and selected and directed the gold gatherers. Somehow, He did all of this simultaneously! My attention was captured not only by His personal ability to complete tasks but also by how He made each person on the boat feel. It was easy to see that the workers were confident when challenged, capable while confronted and courageous during chaos. Those at rest were peaceful. Everyone held an inner joy that reverberated throughout the boat. Unreserved devotion to the Captain was obvious.

While watching the Captain, I was most impressed by how He managed the details of His main tasks. When directing our way, the Captain chose the course of our boat and relayed those plans to the Navigator. He knew the river waters well and charted our path steadily around many islands as well as snares, such as sandbars and rocks. He would inventory our supplies and determine which islands we would dock at and for how long. He also kept record of who went ashore and who remained safely on the boat.

When supervising the work associated with the nets, everything required sorting. Nets were used everywhere on the boat and came in all sizes and strengths for many different functions. Small nets were used for gathering gold and distributing food. Medium and large nets were used for fishing and holding large supplies. There were also mysterious extralarge nets. I wasn’t sure what those were used for because the Captain always instructed the workers to take the extralarge nets to the other side of the boat where only a few people were invited. While I manned my station on the boat, I idly watched how great care was taken with all the nets to ensure that there were no holes, rips or unraveling and that all were kept in good working order.

His gold-gathering tasks were most intriguing to me, especially as I grew older. I never knew how each mission would unfold. The basics of gold gathering encompassed the selection of different people to go out into the water on a mission to collect specific gold pieces. How He determined which gold was meant for a specific person at a certain spot in the river, I’ll never know. I mean, there was so much gold! No matter where I looked, gold flickered in the river. One important point about gold-gathering we all learned was to select only the gold indicated for the mission and not to bring back more or less than authorized. There was no magic age for being selected as a gold gatherer, as far as I could surmise. Whether someone was young or old, gold gathering was for anyone whom the Captain called.

I was extremely curious about gold gathering. One thing I noticed was that the Captain would send people into the river in all kinds of weather and varying river depths! Sometimes the sun shimmered on the shallow water so brightly that it was hard to distinguish the sparkling rays on the top from the sparkling nuggets underneath. These were the easiest gold-gathering missions. At other times, the river was so deep I would catch only a glimpse of the treasure in the depths. These forays were more challenging and took more time.

The worst was when He would send gatherers into a chaotic storm. I never understood what He was thinking! Wasn’t the gold all the same? Wouldn’t it be better to grab all we could in the shallows and sunshine and avoid sending anyone into the water on stormy nights? This is where my first disagreement with the Captain evolved in my head. This danger felt unnecessary and avoidable. Storms were very intimidating; I was glad to stay in the shelter of the boat where everything was in my control. I would huddle under my blanket while the water thrashed against the boat as we rocked and pitched. Please let my gold-gathering day be full of sunshine and shallow water! I prayed. As the team assembled, wind and rain whipped at their clothes and hair. I remember how shocked I was when I braved a peek at the faces of the group from my secure station on the boat. Unbelievable! Each newly and carefully chosen gatherer looked determined and confident in the face of such a terrible storm!

Time continued to pass, and I entered my latter teen years. I had yet to be selected to gather gold, and, frankly, it was no longer important to me. The selection method I observed over the years was full of discrepancies. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it, and I couldn’t follow the Captain’s logic. I was just as capable as others who were chosen—probably more so. However, I certainly didn’t want to draw attention to myself and get picked to go out in one of those awful storms. I felt it best to enjoy life on the boat away from the center of activity, staying busy by doing the things I enjoyed.

I tried to stay content within my life on the boat, but to tell the truth, I wasn’t. I did spend most of my days imagining what it would be like to hold a piece of gold in my hand. I had not yet been allowed off the boat when we docked and desperately ached to feel the sand beneath my toes. I listened enviously to the stories of the ones who were allowed off the boat. My imagination created scenarios—from what it felt like to stand on dry land, to hauling in nets full of giant nuggets, to hearing the stories told of my bounty. Oh! The visions my mind created! If I were allowed to gather gold from the shoreline of the river, what sweet success would it hold for me?

I am startled as I catch the first glimpse of an island and its beauty. It is straight out of my fantasy! As we approach, I can see right away that it is different than other islands where we previously docked. The white-sand beach and the lush green vegetation further inland spellbind me. The chorus of tropical birds is a symphony to my ears! I also see hills on this island. Some are big and some are small, but there is definitely a rolling landscape. As we pull closer to the dock, I am so absorbed by every new color and sound that I almost don’t hear the Captain call my name.

Yes? I answer.

You may go ashore with us today, says the Captain. Please be ready with your essentials when we are secured.

At first I am shocked, but then I am overjoyed and elated! He called my name! How long will we be staying? I wonder. Do I have any type of assignment? Is this the island where I will gather gold? Should I take a net? What size? Where is my backpack with my essentials? I need my manual, my water bottle and my multi-tool. It was the most basic rule on the boat never to leave without these items. The manual is a bit bulky but critical if I come up against a question on shore to which I don’t know the answer. That seems unlikely, but I don’t want to delay my departure by not following protocol. The water bottle fulfills a more fundamental need, but it is obviously useless if left empty. Finally, my multi-tool—now this is a handy item! It is made of two pieces of wood attached to each other perpendicularly. Each end is fashioned into a toolhead that performs different functions. It takes up as much space as my manual, but all in all, my backpack is still light. My mind races! I want to remember every detail about my time on shore.

As we dock and the boat is secured, the Captain stands near the gangway watching passengers disembark as well as board. As I walk past Him, I suddenly realize I have never been this close to Him before. It catches me off guard that He seems closer to normal size than to the image of Him I hold in my mind. I should stop and converse with Him about why He chose me to go ashore or at least ask if I have a specific task to accomplish, but I am too eager to feel the sand between my toes.

I pause at the end of the gangway, about to take my first step onto the island. I call a quick question back over my shoulder. Captain? What’s the name of this island?

It is the Isle of Eye. Please stay close.

Stay close? What does He mean by that? My toes burrow into the sand as I ponder His words; I decide that He probably means that I should stay close enough to hear Him. I don’t think I have to actually stay on the beach because He never gave me a particular job. The island seems nice here, but there’s not much to do but help Him mend the nets, and I would rather explore. It looks to me like there are plenty of other people who could help Him, anyway.

Besides, this is a beautiful paradise! I want to explore a bit just to see what the island has to offer. I’ll stay within earshot, I think. As I approach the tree line, the sense that maybe I should not venture further rises up. It is a small, warm feeling that makes me pivot and cock my head. Maybe I should just tell Him that I am going to check things out for a while so He knows where I am in case He needs me.

I look over at the Captain and see He is busy with a mess of nets. Of course, if He didn’t throw the nets out at the height of a storm, they wouldn’t become so tangled. I know the nets can be used in all kinds of weather in water or on dry land, but why can’t He wait for clear, calm and peaceful moments before He acts? He creates His own tangles because He uses them when He shouldn’t! Where is everyone, anyway? I was so busy thinking about leaving the beach that I never noticed where anyone else was going. Well, given the choice between working and exploring, I guess they also chose the more enjoyable and exciting