RIDING THE WAVES
A Surfing Devotional
Here's what every surfer learns after getting pounded by their first big wave: you can't fight the ocean and win. The ocean doesn't care about your plans, your schedule, or your ego. It's going to do what it's going to do. You can either learn to read it and work with it, or you can spend a lot of time getting tumbled around like laundry in a washing machine.
Experienced surfers don't fight waves – they ride them. They don't curse the ocean when it's flat; they wait for the right conditions. They don't panic when a set rolls in bigger than expected; they adjust their position and make the most of it.
But here's what's really wild: the best surfers don't just survive the waves – they find joy in them. That same force that could crush you becomes the thing that carries you on the ride of your life.
Life has waves too. Some days it's glassy and perfect, other days it's firing overhead, and sometimes it's completely flat. Most of us spend our energy fighting the conditions instead of learning to ride them.
Jesus understood this. In John 16:33, he told his friends, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." He wasn't promising a life without waves – he was promising to be with them in the waves. And Romans 8:28 adds another layer: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." The same guy who calmed storms also walked on water. He didn't eliminate the challenging conditions; he showed a different way to navigate them.
This Week's Challenge: Instead of fighting your current circumstances, look for ways to "ride the wave" of what's actually happening. What opportunities might be hidden in this situation? How might God be present in the midst of it?
Questions for Reflection:
What "waves" in your life do you tend to fight against rather than learn to navigate?
Can you think of a difficult situation that, looking back, actually carried you somewhere good you wouldn't have gone otherwise?
What would it look like to trust that Jesus is with you in the waves, rather than waiting for calm seas to start following him?
The ocean's going to do what it's going to do. The question is: are you going to fight it or ride it?