Life is a river that flows. It meanders, roars, surges, trickles.

In all of its states, with varying degrees of speed and power, it consistently and naturally does one thing: it moves forward.

So long as we have life, our river moves forward.

While life is like a river, we are like boats that are traveling upon the water.

Sometimes we get out. Sometimes we want to change the direction in which we flow. Sometimes we want to go back to an earlier spot in the river and figure out where we took a wrong turn, a spill, a splash. In all cases though, we travel the portion of the river in which we set our boat.

We start from where we place our boats.

If we choose to place our boats where we have already been, revisit time and again the treacherous curves in our river, fill ourselves up once more with the pain and fear that a particular stretch once gave us, we can.

If we choose to place our boats in new territory, a fresh stretch of water, we can.

If we choose to set our boats in the rough areas with rapids, rocks and twisty currants, we can.

If we choose to go with the currant, to paddle less and flow more, we can.

If we choose to move against the river, to place our energy in paddling in circles, we can. This, too is possible.

All things are possible in this river of our life.

And as uncomfortable as it can be to acknowledge it, the choice of where to place our boats is ours—always ours, and ours alone. We are the ones in charge of our boats and their placement.

With the currant or against?
Fresh start or a repeated revisit?
Rapids or gentle flow?
Move forward or spin in circles?

It's up to us.

Read more from this mama with moxie here!