“The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.” Psalm 93:4

Learning to Surf

I was recently going through some pictures in my never-ending attempt to downsize and organize, and found this quote on a picture envelope: “We can’t control the wave, but we can learn to surf.” I don’t know when or where I saw the quote, so I looked it up and found this very similar one by Jon Kabat-Zinn: “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

I love Hawaii, I love everything about it, except the price of airfare! I picture the waves and the surfers, especially on North Shore where the waves can be crazy big. The movie Soul Surfer comes to mind about Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack and went on to become a championship surfer.

Now I’m never going to learn to surf physically, but I certainly can emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The way I can do it is to rely on Jesus, the one Who controls the wind and the waves. He doesn’t always immediately calm the storms or the rough seas we’re in—sometimes for our good and His glory He teaches us how to walk on water (Matthew 14:22-33), trust Him when the boat is filling up (Mathew 8:23-27), or perhaps learn to surf.

Here are some surfing quotes that struck a chord in me:

“Surfing is the most blissful experience you can have on this planet, a taste of heaven.”  John McCarthy

“There are no more committed people on the planet than surfers. We fall down a lot. We turn around, paddle back out, and do it over again. Unlike anything else in life, the stoke (excitement/exhilaration) of surfing is so high that the failures quickly fade from memory.” Gary Sirota

“I’ve learned life is a lot like surfing. When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up, because you never know what’s over the next wave…and if you have faith, anything is possible, anything at all.” Bethany Hamilton

In some ways I already know how to surf. The other day my husband and I were laughing, albeit halfway through tears, about our family motto being “perseverance.” I think life is won by getting up one more time than you get knocked down and trusting that God is good, all the time. It’s knowing that regardless of how big the waves are, He is bigger.

Father God, as we look to You, trusting You know what is best for us, may we apply these principles to our lives, deepening our walk with You and being blessed with a taste of heaven on earth. Let the exhilaration of a life lived for You make failures fade quickly. Help us get right back up when we get knocked down, having faith that You have something wonderful for us over the next wave. Amen.