The surfer

Hope floats; the buoyancy of the board keeps the surfer afloat.  Some waves rattle the patiences of the surfer causing her to dive through the wave only to be pummeled by the next which closely follows.   The sets erratic allowing not for calculated moves that she may catch that one perfect waves.  Finally, an inviting set and the third wave the choice.  She digs deep, paddle, paddle, paddle is all she thinks and she drops in...the board cuts through the water; a thing of beauty as the back spray of the water catches the sun right projecting a small rainbow over the crest of the wave.  The surfer cuts back, grabs some air and safely lands back in the wave which she rides until it fades away.  As quickly as the ride began, it us over and the surfer paddles out to position herself for another ride.  Again, the erratic sets keeps the surfer guessing which wave is the best.  Other surfers watch as, time after time, the surfer paddles as if her life depended upon it on to find the wave but a ripple and unsurfable.  Is this surfer new, does she not know where and how the waves break?     Assuming this the case, the others surfers watch as she drops in on ripples then mammoth waves causing her to wipe out with such force that they actually gasp with each fall.  The sets continue as do the rides and attempted rides until the sun begins to set into the sea at which point all of the surfers take one last wave into shore.  The surfers gather on shore for a shore reminiscing of the day's activities which the lone surfer heads to her car.  That night, many if the surfers gather for a party and they again bring up the woman they saw in the surf; the mock her methods and laugh at the many wipe outs they witnessed.  This unknown surfer becomes the talk of the party.  "Dude, did you hear, Jane Doe was on our beach today?  Dude, you guys were there, did you see her?"  "No, she couldn't have been on our beach, it was just us, the usually catching waves."  "Well, all accept that one shoebie, she had no idea what she was doing.  I mean she would drop in on these huge waves fifty percent of the time she would wipe out, I mean massively wipe out.  And then, these tiny ripples she would ride, it was wild, a surf legend like Doe would never choose those waves!"  "What did she look like?"  "I don't know, some red head."  "Doe is a red head!  Did you talk to her?"  "No we just watched and laughed."  "Dudes you are stupid, she was out there testing a new product for beginner surfers.  Did it ever occur to you that this surfer you were making fun of knew exactly what she was doing?  I mean you said that she rode ripples and dropped in on huge waves, was that by accident or was she feeling the sets, did she only take the waves she wanted, the ones she knew were coming?"  Silence overtook the crowd as they realized that they had spent the day mocking a surf legend and what's worse, never even spoke to her though she was five feet from them all day.  

How are we hope in our world, what keeps us afloat, what keeps us moving forward and riding the huge waves?  Life does not present itself with sets of waves but rather series of situations in which, should we be unprepared, we could wipeout inflicting upon ourselves pain.  Wipeout after wipeout, soon we will fear climbing back on the board.  Our connection with God is what keeps us afloat, what keeps us from surrendering to fear and face planting into the surf.  Though the connection is always offered, always available to us, we are the ones who have to activity work to make the connection live and viable.  Just as a true surfer listens to the ocean, just as she feels the sets ready to pass, so, too, a true follower of Christ feels the presence of God.  Requests spoken, responses felt...the truth of our connection with the Father is the reality of our soul.  Deepened by prayer, furthered by trust and measured only in love, the reality of our soul propels us into a relationship with a tender and loving Father who graciously offered Himself to us that we may never sink in the wake of harsh encumbrances of humanity.  When we stop and feel, when we slow down and listen, it is the heart which answers our plea; it is the heart which soaks in the Father's presence and overwhelms the body with love.  Along the way we are able to refine our gifts, gifts which each of us incorporates differently into our lives for we each take these gifts to different levels of mastery thus creating a unique relationship with the Father.  Patiences we claim for life floods us with moments of now, or worse...yesterday.  Grounded in patiences we are able to see, set for set, the truth of God's promise in our lives, we are able to comprehend the offered protection and companionship God intended with His death on the cross.  Anxiety attempts to over take is as it dangles a mediocre wave daring us to drop in but the heart gently speaks reassuring the deep seated truths of love, hope and peace as offered in a genuine connection with the Father.  So patiently we wait, trust strengthened as others take the bait and we, alone, are in position for the perfect wave which followed the baited wave.  Closely connected to patiences is humility for even though we waited, should our ego become grandiose, our wipeout could become legendary.  There is no doubt that we are going to fall off the board, we may even break a few boards in our lifetime but these need not be deemed as set backs, only opportunities; opportunities to catch a different wave or to acquire the newest board.  Humbly we walk the shores cognizant of the presence of living organisms which share their world with us.  We are part of a whole, a cycle of life; we are not the end all be all, the world does not revolve around us nor does it move for us; the world has been set in motion and as such moves with grace, moves with purpose as it surrounds each of us in love.  Just as each surfer must respect the currents of the sea lest they find themselves lost among the tide; so, too, must we respect our connection with the Father.  Though we are always loved, always cherished any disconnect brings about sadness followed by dubious thoughts which, in turn, creates for us chaos in an already chaotic world.  Should we let trust trump the anxieties of this world we can ride the coat tails of faith even on the tiniest of ripples for the board of patience and humility need only the gentlest trickle to make its way to shore.  The waves of life offer opportunities of strength, opportunities of trust, opportunities of love.  There will be times when we tire from paddling for the surf, like life, can be challenging but, unlike the surf, life can be forgiving as God is forgiving.  When we tire, when we become so exhausted even our voice falls silent, it is in this moment we discover truth for should we listen with the heart, we will hear the voice of God saying,"Fall into my arms, I am right here, do not be afraid, I will catch you."  This comforting, familiar voice brings such solace, such peace that we close the mind to follow the heart and God simply wraps us in love.  The reality of our connection with the Father is the reality of our life in His arms.    Enjoyable, challenging, thrilling, content, beautiful, rewarding, peaceful these may describe the perfect day of surf but, more importantly, it should describe our every moment in life.  Hope floats for faith and trust the buoys when the waves of chaos swell to immeasurable heights while patience and humility are the fins allowing us to shred the waves and make cutbacks as the heart sees fit.  Are you ready for the surf?