Have you ever watched surfing videos? Those magnificent waves! The surfers’ intense concentration, coordinating speed, balance, and the subliminal changes in the motion below their feet. One wrong move and—wipe out.
But when it’s right. Wow! When it’s right, the power of tons of water lifting you, the acceleration of the board, sunlight sparkling through the cool blue ceiling curved above you—exhilaration!
I’ve never tried to surf. I’d never put my poor athletic skills to such a test. Once upon a time, I found myself hanging on to the edge of a dock while my rowboat drifted away. Ask me for a copy of that story, and I’ll send you the Word Document.
But I digress. Back to surfers: I totally admire those who seek the thrill of balancing on a small board at the mercy of the sea.
The ocean provides countless metaphors for life.
Since I’m choosing surfing as my metaphor of the day, let’s take a look at what surfing with Jesus looks like.
I’ll start us off easy, and we’ll visit the Doldrums, a portion of the tropics where the wind dies and the ocean barely ripples. Surfers might get a baby wavelet tapping on the surfboard, but the sea isn’t taking them anywhere. It’s boring to straddle the board and wait for some kind of swell worthwhile enough to stand and catch the wave. Although calling it a wave might give it illusions of grandeur. Beginning surfers may ride those wavelets anyway. It’s good practice for rougher surf.
Life can get monotonous, too. We may not be looking for extra stress, but we want to feel our lives have some kind of importance. Surely, for example, we can serve Jesus by doing more than washing dishes. But someone has to wash dishes. If no one stoops to the job, eating off of dirty dishes is disagreeable at best, and downright dangerous to everyone’s health at worst. God tells us when we work diligently in the little things, it’s preparation for something more. (Matthew 25:21)
So, I can stand on that surfboard of life and practice keeping my balance in the easy, boring times knowing Jesus is on the board, too, keeping me steady, preparing me for bigger waves.
Calm seas are easy, but what about those gigantic waves?
How many of us are eager to let tons of water dash us to the seabed? How many of us welcome the huge powerful waves of tragedy or betrayal or terminal illness?
credit to Tommy Fawcett (Unsplash)
With Jesus standing on the board with me, the ride is exhilarating. Not exhilarating like the surfer movies—guys so confident in their abilities, calling to the ocean, “Bring it on!”
Not me. I’m terrified of dire circumstances. A humongous wave is rising over me, and I can’t escape it. But Jesus is also on my surfboard. I know we’ll ride the wave together. He won’t allow my soul to be destroyed in a wipeout.
Sadness may crash over me. Despair might curl tightly around me, but together we slice through the water inside the barrel of the wave and experience an exhilarating, victorious ride. With total trust, I exult in the feeling, “I am going to make it to shore.”
With Jesus and me sharing the surfboard, I am more than a conqueror.
Romans 8:37 (KJV) says, “We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”
A great verse to encourage ourselves with. But we can’t forget the context surrounding it. Verses thirty-five and thirty-six remind the Romans and many cultures in the world today that Christians are slaughtered and left hungry and naked. Americans have not experienced martyrdom, but we still worry when times get so difficult we’re afraid we’ll drown in the rough waters of life. We find ourselves asking, “Why can’t I have victory in this situation?” “Why isn’t God taking care of me?”
Read those three words above. Paul doesn’t call Christians “conquerors.” He calls them “more than conquerors.”
This is spiritual victory. Satan tries to destroy our faith using terrible circumstances to wear us down and fill us with doubt. He intends evil for us. But he can’t surprise God. Satan can’t do a thing to harm us without the Lord’s permission.
God allows the hardships and sorrows because He already knows how He will use those circumstances for our good. We can ride those terrifying waves knowing He’s going to keep our souls safe. Satan may have a temporary victory by smashing our bodies and our emotions, but he can’t snatch away our life with the Savior. And that makes us more than conquerors because victory remains through eternity.
