Give me wax for my board, I'll keep surfin' for the Lord...
Ok, so I didn't actually get to go surfing. Although, I did see the ocean a few weeks ago on a weekend trip.
But mostly, the Lord used a devotional that mentioned surfing to show me some awesome truths.
"Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. The things we try to avoid and fight against- tribulation, suffering, and persecution are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. We are more than conquerers through him. In all things, not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. The undiminished radiance which is the result of abundant joy is not built on anything passing but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are every day events or terrifying ones are powerless to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for his Highest
This year I've been trying to fight against the huge waves of change. They've flipped me over and spit me out and left me terrified to swim in the ocean at times. But this past week it was time, it was time to grab my surf board and enjoy the ride. It was time to allow the giant waves in my life to start to produce joy. I haven't tried surfing, but I've tried boogie boarding and I've seen a couple of important things from that experience and watching others surf.
1. It takes practice. No one surfs a perfect wave on their first try.
2. It takes patience, you have to wait for the wave in order to ride it.
3. It takes timing. Once the wave comes, you have to time it just right.
4. It takes getting back up when you fall.
5. It takes understanding, learning to read the waves and understand them.
6. You can't surf on smooth water.
7. Ultimately, it's meant to bring joy!
I've been hit by waves of fear. I have been afraid for my safety while I walk around or take public transportation. I've been afraid to speak Spanish at times. I've been afraid that I would disappoint others. I've been hit by waves of loneliness. I've felt disconnected from the people that love me and like I needed to do it all. I've asked a lot of questions and tried to swim in these waves. It left me feeling very defeated. I've asked the Lord why he would bring me here to experience these feelings... doesn't he love me? That's when I heard the Lord's calm voice saying:
"The opposite my dear child. I brought you here BECAUSE I love you."
As I let these words echo through my heart I started to see, the Lord brought me to this place of utter dependance on him. I have to look to him for my peace when I feel frightened. I have to look to him for my encouragement and fulfillment when I feel lonely. While I was busy fighting and not realizing what was going on, he was using these circumstances to draw me closer to his heart. And now, he's showing me how instead of fighting the waves, I can surf them. So as I look at the lessons that go with surfing, I know they apply. This is going to take practice. Perseverance. Patience. Understanding. As a part of my understanding, I have been looking at some of the things I can be grateful for and how those can give me joy. So over the past few weeks here are a few times and things I've been grateful for:
1. When plans are changed for the better. I had the opportunity to meet with a dear Honduran friend for coffee one day after we finished early at school because not all the students were dear. Getting to know her more and sharing was so good for both of us.
2. Grateful for hugs from children. This past week, I got to go and meet the kids at the elementary school I will be at in the new Honduran school year. (To help with the confusion some of you have had with me talking about next school year, you should know the Honduran school calendar runs from February to November. Their long break is starting right now.) These little darlings were showering me with hugs after only getting to talk to them for 15 minutes. Absolutely filled my heart with joy.
3. I am grateful for health. Overall, I have been sick very little. The instances have only been a few days at a time.
4. I am grateful for my church family here at CCI. During some of these hard times, they have checked in on me. They have asked me questions and given me hugs.
5. I am grateful for my ladies Bible Study that meets on tuesday mornings. They provide encouragement and also continue to push me to the Lord.
6. I am thankful for friends and fun. The Lord has blessed me by giving me friends that still invite me to hang out with them and do fun things on the weekends. Laughter, games, and food are medicine to the soul at times.
7. I am grateful for the random things I see and experience that are outside of my normal cultural bubble. Example: Last week, riding on a chicken bus (large yellow school bus) I saw my first actual chicken on the bus! Awesome!
8. The views here... I never get tired of seeing the mountains and the beauty of creation. Here's a panarama from my beach weekend. We hiked a mountain and the view was breathtaking.
I am sure I could continue on and on. The Lord has truly been good and blessed me. I feel as if picking up this gratefulness is like wax for my board, it makes things run a little smoother as I seek to find joy. I pray that you also would find the things you are grateful for and allow the Lord to help you to surf instead of fight the waves of life.
But mostly, the Lord used a devotional that mentioned surfing to show me some awesome truths.
"Huge waves that would frighten an ordinary swimmer produce a tremendous thrill for the surfer who has ridden them. The things we try to avoid and fight against- tribulation, suffering, and persecution are the very things that produce abundant joy in us. We are more than conquerers through him. In all things, not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. The undiminished radiance which is the result of abundant joy is not built on anything passing but on the love of God that nothing can change. And the experiences of life, whether they are every day events or terrifying ones are powerless to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for his Highest
This year I've been trying to fight against the huge waves of change. They've flipped me over and spit me out and left me terrified to swim in the ocean at times. But this past week it was time, it was time to grab my surf board and enjoy the ride. It was time to allow the giant waves in my life to start to produce joy. I haven't tried surfing, but I've tried boogie boarding and I've seen a couple of important things from that experience and watching others surf.
1. It takes practice. No one surfs a perfect wave on their first try.
2. It takes patience, you have to wait for the wave in order to ride it.
3. It takes timing. Once the wave comes, you have to time it just right.
4. It takes getting back up when you fall.
5. It takes understanding, learning to read the waves and understand them.
6. You can't surf on smooth water.
7. Ultimately, it's meant to bring joy!
I've been hit by waves of fear. I have been afraid for my safety while I walk around or take public transportation. I've been afraid to speak Spanish at times. I've been afraid that I would disappoint others. I've been hit by waves of loneliness. I've felt disconnected from the people that love me and like I needed to do it all. I've asked a lot of questions and tried to swim in these waves. It left me feeling very defeated. I've asked the Lord why he would bring me here to experience these feelings... doesn't he love me? That's when I heard the Lord's calm voice saying:
"The opposite my dear child. I brought you here BECAUSE I love you."
As I let these words echo through my heart I started to see, the Lord brought me to this place of utter dependance on him. I have to look to him for my peace when I feel frightened. I have to look to him for my encouragement and fulfillment when I feel lonely. While I was busy fighting and not realizing what was going on, he was using these circumstances to draw me closer to his heart. And now, he's showing me how instead of fighting the waves, I can surf them. So as I look at the lessons that go with surfing, I know they apply. This is going to take practice. Perseverance. Patience. Understanding. As a part of my understanding, I have been looking at some of the things I can be grateful for and how those can give me joy. So over the past few weeks here are a few times and things I've been grateful for:
1. When plans are changed for the better. I had the opportunity to meet with a dear Honduran friend for coffee one day after we finished early at school because not all the students were dear. Getting to know her more and sharing was so good for both of us.
2. Grateful for hugs from children. This past week, I got to go and meet the kids at the elementary school I will be at in the new Honduran school year. (To help with the confusion some of you have had with me talking about next school year, you should know the Honduran school calendar runs from February to November. Their long break is starting right now.) These little darlings were showering me with hugs after only getting to talk to them for 15 minutes. Absolutely filled my heart with joy.
3. I am grateful for health. Overall, I have been sick very little. The instances have only been a few days at a time.
4. I am grateful for my church family here at CCI. During some of these hard times, they have checked in on me. They have asked me questions and given me hugs.
5. I am grateful for my ladies Bible Study that meets on tuesday mornings. They provide encouragement and also continue to push me to the Lord.
6. I am thankful for friends and fun. The Lord has blessed me by giving me friends that still invite me to hang out with them and do fun things on the weekends. Laughter, games, and food are medicine to the soul at times.
7. I am grateful for the random things I see and experience that are outside of my normal cultural bubble. Example: Last week, riding on a chicken bus (large yellow school bus) I saw my first actual chicken on the bus! Awesome!
I am sure I could continue on and on. The Lord has truly been good and blessed me. I feel as if picking up this gratefulness is like wax for my board, it makes things run a little smoother as I seek to find joy. I pray that you also would find the things you are grateful for and allow the Lord to help you to surf instead of fight the waves of life.
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