Today I invite you to welcome my friend and writing partner, Jean Wilund to Hungry for God. Jean's passion for the Word of God, for excellence in writing, and for humor make her one of my favorite writers. Thanks, Jean, for sharing your thoughts with us!
Waimea Bay on the north shore
of Oahu, Hawaii hosts the spine-crunching big wave surf competition known
as The Eddie.
Before this invitational can
be scheduled, the waves must be at least 20 feet high. This easily translates
to surfing a 40-foot wall of water that wants to crush you.
That’s
where our daughter took us to spend the day body surfing. To the home of the
Eddie.
The
Eddie.
That’s
why, on that warm December day, when everyone ran in, I ran away.
Fear the Wave
The
waves weren’t even close to Eddie-worthy that day, nevertheless, I wasn’t about
to let them pummel me like they did that one lady. They tossed her about like a
puppy with a chew toy.
The
number of souls who dove into those waves astounded me.
The
ones who commanded them mesmerized me.
They
rode with confidence and joy, as if they had no idea they were riding at the
mercy and within the grip of a liquid sledgehammer.
Confidence
like this comes either from sheer stupidity or great knowledge.
Those
who live to ride again most likely fall into the latter group.
Fear Can Be a Good Thing
The
best surfers—and wisest—approach the crushing power of big waves with fear.
Not
the run-shrieking-for-your-life type of fear I feel when I face waves, but the
well-founded awe and respect type of fear.
They
study and know waves—really know them. They memorize their mechanics, the
effects of wind and topography on how they develop, and the impact of their
break on the human body.
A
surfer needs to be able to anticipate a wave’s every movement if he wants to master
it.
And
go where others fear to tread.
Eddie Would Go
Eddie
Aikau, Waimea Bay’s renowned big wave surfer and lifeguard, inspired not only
the surf invitational, but also the phrase, “Eddie would go,” because he would
go after waves others wouldn’t risk.
In
big wave surfing, things can go horribly wrong really quickly.
Surfers
who aren’t prepared will likely panic and put themselves into an even more
dangerous situation.
Prepared
surfers like Eddie remain calm and patient. They’re more likely to come out of
the crisis with their lives intact—and actually enjoy the ride.
But
even the strongest and brightest surfers can fail and lose it all.
Despite
having saved over 500 swimmers and surfers in his career, Eddie lost his own
life out at sea. After the ocean voyaging canoe he and others were piloting
capsized about twelve miles from shore, he paddled out on his surfboard to get
help. He was never seen again.
Life is Like Surfing
Like
surfing, life can be an unpredictable and thrilling ride. But it can go
horribly wrong quickly.
Even
the strongest and brightest can fail and lose it all.
No
matter how learned we are or how great our support team is, we can’t control
waves –or life.
We
can respond using our education and our mad skills when trouble hits, but in
the end, we can’t force waves or life to conform to our will.
He
alone has limitless power, knowledge, and control. We don’t, but we can know
and trust in the one who does.
May You Be Strengthened with All Power
What
we know and believe about God determines our ability to respond properly when
life crashes over us.
If
we don’t know God or the truth of His nature and character, we’re likely to
misunderstand what He’s doing. We’ll either view Him as cruel or as powerless.
But
if we’ve studied Him to know Him—truly studied to know Him—through the Bible
and not simply our experiences or others, we’re best able to ride out the wave.
We’ll rest in His strong arms, confident in what we know about Him.
Even
as life crashes down, we can remain calm and obey Him, knowing God has the
power to bend all things to His will for His glory and our good.
We’ll
be strengthened with all power according to His glorious might for all
endurance and patience with, yes, even joy.
Cowabunga!
May you be strengthened with all power
according to his glorious might
for all endurance and patience with joy.
– Colossians 1:11
according to his glorious might
for all endurance and patience with joy.
– Colossians 1:11
Jean Wilund is a writer, Bible teachers, and speaker passionate about coffee, comedy, and Christ. She blogs at www.JeanWilund.com to help women fall in love with God and His Word and laugh while doing it. She lives in Lexington, SC, with her husband. Their children live scattered across the country.
Waves can be dangerous. The expert surfers are truly full of strength and courage. I am thankful God provides strength and courage. We only need to ask Him. :-)
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