Surfing School (May 5, 2007)

Today was devoted to surfing school. Let me just begin by saying this was a truly unique experience. Noah was insistant that he was not going to surf, but when the time finally came, the whole family took lessons, including Noah. Our surf instructor was the baby of his family and he was perfiect for Noah. He understood him, but didn't cut him any slack at all. When it was all said and done, Noah was perhaps the best surfer of the family and he was quite quick to point that fact out to the rest of us for the remainder of the day. I have learned that there are spiritual lessons all around us, all of the time. I know that much of what I am sharing now may be rather basic and seem somewhat simple, but the process of recognizing the voice of God in my daily routine has become a significant thing for me. I have felt so dry over the past few months and this process has been like realizing that the Lord has dug a refreshing well for me to personally drink from. Today was no exception to the learning process for me.We began early this morning with a very gentle surf. Before we could even get into the water, we had to take the time on shore to learn how to stand up on the board. It seemed really easy on shore and I probably didn't pay as much attetion as I should have. Next we got into about 2 feet of water and had to stand up with the instructor holding the board in place - again this seemed really simple. The next step, however, proved to be a bit more challenging. We paddled out to about 50 yards and the instructor pushed us into the wave. I learned very quickly that what seemed simple on land wasn't as easy in the midst of the surf. Wow, now I wished I had paid more attention to the basics and hadn't considered them so simple that "anyone" could do it. I can't say that I caught the waves like a pro, but I did finally learn to stand up. By the time the "coaches" were taking us out to the 200 yard mark, I actually rode a wave almost to the shore. That was rather exciting, but the crash and burn at the end was a bit of a challenge in the shallow water. Now, how does all this relate to the spirtual world. Well, I hope that is obvious and seems rather simple, but then that would be the point. I had forgotten just how important it can be to listen to my "instructor" (otherwise known as the Holy Spirit). As far as the basics were concerned (devotion, daily prayer, bible study) they were getting lost in the midst of "deeper" things. Without real attention being paid to the basics, you can forget being able to enjoy "riding the wave of the Spirit". Trust me, when you face the real waves of life, you don't want to end up like the picture below, so listen close to the voice of your "instructor" while you are still in the safety of the shore.