Surf’s up!

Vacation — finally!

In that place between being asleep and awake, Brad felt the cool ocean breeze wash across the bed. Ahhh. Light crept into his hotel room as excited voices filtered through the balcony screen doors. “Surf’s up!” He heard the excited voice followed quickly by the sound of slamming doors, running feet, and a few loud shouts of “Whoo-hoo!”

This was Brad’s dream vacation of a lifetime — two weeks of beach, sun and surfing — courtesy of his Uncle Aaron. Two weeks to learn how to surf, perfect his tan and get that perfect “surfer dude” look he wanted to take to college next month.

Brad jumped out of bed, yanked his shorts on and headed for the bathroom. He looked back briefly as the “Surfing 4 Dummies” book he’d bought at the airport crashed to the floor.

Three minutes later, he was locking his hotel room door and heading for the beach. “Surfing Lessons Here!” Brad saw the sign and headed straight for the little beach shack with the neat rows of surf boards lined up outside. Great!  As he hurried across the sand, he fished the ‘free lesson’ coupon out of his pocket.

“Hey, I heard the surf’s up!” Brad began as he got the attention of the guy sitting on the porch waxing a surf board. The hand rubbing wax into the board stopped — for a second. Looking up into Brad’s excited, expectant face, he smiled — and returned to his waxing.

“Been surfing before?” At Brad’s blank look, he shook his head — and kept waxing. “Name’s Mike. ‘Round here, we read the surf before we ride it. Read, then ride. That’s the rule. Know how to read?”

Oh boy. Disappointment threatened to ruin the day’s great start. Mike looked up at Brad again. He’d seen the look on these vacationers — a lot. “Hey, you seem like a smart guy. Bet you did some listening and learning before you got behind the wheel to drive, right?”

Where was this going? Brad was really wondering about this guy now. Maybe if I humor him, he’ll rent me a board, and I can get surfing.

“OK, here’s how it is. You take this board. You see a wave. You jump in. You swim out. You try to ride it. You drown — or worse — see those rocks down the beach? You meet them, up close and personal. So, Brad, is it? Well, Brad, smart guys read, then ride. Want some reading lessons?”

James 1: 5 tells us, “If you need wisdom — if you want to know what God wants you to do — ask him, and he will gladly tell you.”

Ask. Listen. then act. It’s the spiritual equal to Mike the surfing instructor’s rule of “read, then ride.” So many times in life we act, then wonder where God is. Like Brad, we’re so ready to get going that we don’t stop to look where we’re headed.

James 1:6 says to us, “But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

Soon we too may find ourselves either drowning or on the rocks. Mike’s warning is echoed in this Scripture. Surfers learn to watch and “read” the waves and currents before they decide what to do. Many times we decide what we’re going to do, then we ask God to go along and make it happen. Scripture tells us we’ve got it backwards — we too should read, then ride — ask and listen to God, then act.

Each day when we get up, life calls out “Surf’s up” to us in many different ways. Will we simply jump in (remember drowning and big rocks)? Or will we take time to be with God first, in prayer-conversation, asking and listening for guidance?

If we’ll just take the time to be truly attentive to our God-relationship, God will indeed give, as this Scripture says, “generously and ungrudgingly” to us. In God’s presence and with His guidance, we will truly “surf” through life surrounded by God’s grace and power.