Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
We believed that a fresh wave of the Holy Spirit would soon impact the world, and the church and it has! But it is not what we thought it would be; it is waves of change. Like the ocean, nothing seems static right now. So much is in a state of movement, change and uncertainty. The good news is that these waves of change create opportunity for those who get in the water and learn to ride them.
This past fall we went on a beach vacation with our youngest son and his family. Philip is very passionate about surfing. There happened to be some storms way out in the Atlantic that week that created excellent surfing conditions. We enjoyed watching Philip and others surf throughout the week.
Surfing presents a great analogy for dealing with change because, like what is going on now, this sport occurs in an environment that is in flux, constantly changing. Here are a few thoughts that may help deal with all the change that is coming our way.
1. Surfers are very passionate. The surfing community has to be one of the most passionate of groups. Surfers will go to extreme measures to catch a good swell. They’ll go as far as calling in “sick”, pulling their kids out of school, etc. When you are excited about what you are doing, you will go to all ends to make it happen. Whether it is our spiritual lives, work, home or hobbies, if we lack passion it is going to be mediocre and become unfulfilling.
2. Surfers are risk takers. By and large our default is to maintain the status quo; not so with surfers. They are continually trying innovative moves and going for bigger waves and longer rides. If we are to take advantage of the waves of change we will have to take some risks and try some new approaches.
3. Surfing means wiping out. Real surfers expect to wipe out. They know that for every great ride there may be five or six times as many wipeouts. It doesn’t bother them to fail. When they come out of the water they are not talking about what didn’t work, but what did work. When dealing with change do not expect everything to work, but do not get hung up on what fails. Focus on what is working and you will begin to see how to ride the waves of change.
4. Surfing requires movement. Surfers know that the wave closest to you is already gone and look beyond the current wave to what is rolling in. To catch a wave you have to begin moving well before it arrives. Simply reacting to change will only get you beat around in the backwash. Start riding the waves and you will develop a sense of where things are headed and be able to take advantage of what God is doing.
5. Surfing requires patience. Good surfers will not try to catch every wave that rolls in. They develop an instinct that allows them to know which waves they can ride and the ones that are breaking too soon or not forming properly. You get that instinct by being in the water and learning the nature of waves, not by sitting on the beach or someone telling you. It takes time and patience, but a real surfer will tell you it is worth it.
Many Blessings, BW