Waves

Life here in Santa Ana has been going awesome! I am truly in love with this country and have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this community! Though the other night I could have traded my kidney for a good ol’ American Cheeseburger, every day I feel more at home here in Colombia!

Today was my first day teaching! I had an 11th grade class that began at 6:30 am and you can only imagine how excited they were to be up that early to learn English…some things are universal! This was followed by another 11th grade class, a two hour 9th grade class, and a 6th grade class from the underworld. Anyone remember the beast from Revelations 13? The one with 10 horns and 7 heads who wreaked havoc on all the earth’s inhabitants…that kid is in my class! Otherwise, it was a pretty cool day and I am excited to put some cool lesson plans together to help them learn English. It was very clear we have miles to go before they’ll be at any level of proficiency! More to come!

For this blog entry I want to share something I read the other day. Last Saturday I met the IMB Ministry team in the morning. I will be helping in these missions every weekend while I am here. I hope to share more on this very soon! I was suppose to meet them at 8:30 am but the motorcycle driver I took that morning must have just watched Fast and Furious because I was almost 30 minutes early! So I hung out on the beach (rough life) and read my daily devotion which at the time was in Ephesians. I was in chapter 4: 14 which says:

“Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunningness and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is Christ.”

As I read this I looked out at the waves and made some observations. Waves come in all different shapes and sizes. Waves are relentless, yet incredibly unpredictable. Sometimes when everything is normal, you’ll have a huge wave come in and surprise you. I noticed how strong they were. When they crash you can see the sand turn underneath it. Sometimes they pull rocks back in as the wave recedes while other times it pushes them up on shore.

In all these observations, it was not hard to see why Paul used this example. Even the person who wrote the motto “Life is a Beach” may have been on to something. In a spiritual sense, Satan’s attacks are relentless. He will present them in creative and different ways. When everything appears calm, the god of this world throws something at us that can be overwhelming. We have moments where it feels as if the ground is being swept out from under us. Another day we feel as if we’re being thrown against the rocks. Satan wants nothing more than for us to lose our bearings and in a moment, feel scared. Can you relate to this? What are the waves in your life?

As I observed the ocean that morning, there was something else I could see. I noticed that the waves of any significance were only near the shoreline. The deeper you went out, the calmer the water was. I reminisced when I did Ironman Florida. I had worked on a few strategies to get through these “breaker” waves. I kept the mantra to “just stay focused and relax” because when I did successfully get through them, the rest of the swim would be easy as I knew the conditions were better the farther out you were! How important is it for us to “get off the shore and into the deep water” as it relates to our faith? The reality is that this can be a daunting proposition because of two reasons: it’s scary and people don’t know how to swim.

I listened to a sermon the other day and the pastor referenced The Chronicles of Narnia where someone asked “is the Lion safe (God)…No! But He is just!” When we rest our lives in His hands it doesnt always mean "calmer waters" as we would imagine. Yet, as we venture out in Faith, the waves that once crashed around us, causing us to become disorganized and at times fearful, disappear. Instead He replaces them with purpose and direction. A storm out in sea is not uncommon, but remember what Jesus said to the disciples in such a similar situation in John 6:20 "It is I; dont be afraid." The sea is always unpredicable, but unless we get out of the surf and into deeper water, we may never come to know Christ in the manner we are told to.

Doubt can also creep in when one does not know how to swim. How many times have you ever felt convicted you needed to act on His behalf and thoughts of inadequacy overwhelmed you? There were moments, a few years ago, when I joined a swim team to learn how to swim. After a few practices- I remember wanting to crawl into somewhere and die! It was hard and I thought I would never learn. But I trusted in my coaches teaching and saw in her ability that she knew what she was doing! Sound familiar?

God has given you and me everything we need to swim and to freestyle our way into calmer waters. He has given this entire world His words, teachings, team (church), instructions, and the Example!

There were moments this past year that seemed overwhelming. Times where I lost my focus and felt scared! Yet, as I write this I am excited for what He is doing in this life. I know there is an amazing, overwhelming amount of me that needs to go to Him. But I pray that each day the Holy Spirit convicts me of this and I am able to give them up. All of us have gone through some serious “breakers” in our days and maybe you are in that moment today. So I want you to know that as it is in Christ, as we grow up into Him, we are granted the peace, joy, and strength to swim to that place. A place that is dangerous but we feel safe. A place that is unchartered but we aren’t lost. A place that is foreign but we feel at home.

For me, my best friend Kendall has been that encouragement and example for me. She showed me that in His hands, there is no room for fear. She reminded me that God doesn’t look for the qualified, He makes them.

In moments of crashing waves and dangerous currents, are you clinging to something or possibly someone that is not Him and should be? Can you even see the calmer waters in front of you? Prayerfully let go of what you are holding onto this moment. Trust in the Creator God. Allow Him to guide you through these breakers and out in the deep waters. Sometimes we only see the waves and forgot there is another world to be discovered behind them. Find that place and I guarantee you that is where He has always wanted you to be!