Ride the Wave
I don’t know much about surfing, other than what I’ve seen in the movies. Two movies I can think of are Point Break, where a group of masked thieves are avid surfers when they’re not robbing banks; and the other is Soul Surfer, a movie based on a true story of Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm during a shark attack while surfing. Two completely different movies, but a similarity I saw in both was that surfers are passionate about their sport.
If you’ve seen surfers, whether real or in a movie, you see them paddling out to deeper waters, searching for the BIG wave, but for every “perfect wave,” there are many crushing waves. The coral reefs that line the ocean floor are inconspicuous until the force of the water pounds the surfers under the surface and the razor-sharp coral rips into their skin. Surfers are aware of the dangers of the coral and sharks, but they don’t let it stop them.
What if we, in our walk with Christ, could be more like surfers? What if we chose to ride the wave instead of trying to avoid it all together? I think maybe we spend a lot of energy trying to avoid tough situations, when possibly God is wanting us to ride out the wave, to make us stronger and to fulfill His purpose in us. Maybe instead of fearing the underlying “coral” and “sharks” in our life, we keep paddling towards our goals, knowing that the danger is there, but trusting that God’s got our back.
Bethany Hamilton overcame incredible odds after losing her arm, becoming a champion surfer. Only through sheer determination, unwavering faith and the support from her family was she able to challenge herself to achieve her dreams and fulfill the destination God had for her life. At the end of the movie, after catching the wave of a lifetime, a reporter asked if she could go back to the day she was attacked, would she choose not to go surfing. Her response was the best line in the movie…in my opinion. She said, “I wouldn't change what happened to me, because then I wouldn't have this chance in front of all of you. This chance to embrace more people than I ever could have with two arms.” God used Bethany to give hope to other people all over the world, to show them that disabilities need not disqualify. Be passionate in your faith…ride the wave!