Katy Niles
Katy Niles's Story
Sovereignty
Even when I choose to put myself in situations without praying about it God is still sovereign.
My friends and I grabbed the black inner tubes from the shack and threw them and ourselves in to the back of the old truck. Emily drove us out of the ranch and toward the Chalk creek, all of us ready to tackle the white water. The creek was maybe fifteen feet wide, and deep at spots, and we had been tubing down it before. Only this time, we decided the white water a few feet up from our normal start point would be more fun and exciting. The rapids weren't too daunting, I had been rafting before, so I figured we could handle these small waves with our handy dandy inner tubes. Being in the valley, the creek was fresh mountain water run off. Needless to say, it was a LITTLE cold!
Since this adventure had been my great idea, I went first, Kate followed, and then Libbie and Emily next. A few other girls waited to see how we would fare. My whole body's reaction to the moment my foot touched water should have been the first sign that this wasn't a great idea. I was shivering before I sat down in the tube. Once we were in, I looked at the other four and smiled, excited about tackling the creek. We sat down and let go.
I started out OK until I hit the first white water. I guess I should mention that our inner tubes were quite scraggly and not very promising. Maybe that should have been my first warning. Well, I hit the first rapid and the tube did very little to hold me above all that was under the water. I bumped quite a few rocks, got stuck, and once I was unstuck, the tube and I would plunge downward, covering my body. I could barely breathe as the freshly melted snow wrapped around my shoulders and ribs. Now sliding and bumping down the creek, I tried to get off the tube and scramble for bank. About that time, an empty tube came floating by, and after grabbing it, I fought to the bank and ran up looking for the owner of the empty tube. Amy, one of the girls smart enough to stay dry and warm, had been following us down the river and said she hadn't seen Libbie. So she runs along the creek, and I guess I'm running, too, but I can't feel anything below my waist. We come around a bend and fortunately find Libbie fighting the current and climbing to solid ground. The rest of us were OK, and just kind of stared at each other wild eyed and gasping for air. In the moment of somewhat terror and hypothermia, I decided to break the ice (no pun intended), and asked everybody, "WHO'S idea was this anyway!?" After a few laughs we jumped back in the truck and headed to the jacuzzi to regain body heat.
Of course this is a moment I'll never forget, and I laugh about it still. I think it's a great illustration though how I jump in to things too many times without consulting God first. I guess it would have been smart that day to ask one of the ranch hands if that part of the creek was safe, but I didn't. I figured I knew what I was doing and had control. So often I get myself in to situations like this without ever talking to God about what I'm jumping in to. A great example is my decision to go to Clemson. The day my mother and I dropped off my older brother at Clemson for his first year, I just knew I would end up here. Seven years later, now a Christ follower and soon to graduate high school, I applied for school but still knew Clemson would be my first choice. I may have told God about it once, but I never let God in on my decision.
To this day it is incredible how powerful and in control God is. Even though He was not a part of my decision for college, He has still been here with me the entire three years.