top of page
Writer's pictureMelissa Miller

#1. Catch a Wave



My husband was born and raised in Southern California. Though he was never a surfer, he loves talking about the days their family would climb into the family car and head for the beach. His sport was Boogie Boarding. You lay on the board and swim around watching the tides. When you see that a wave is building you begin to swim harder in an effort to be in the right place in the right moment to catch the wave. As our wise friends The Beach Boys have sung, “Catch a wave and you’re sittin’ on top of the world!” It takes skill to be able to watch the flow of the tides and know how to catch the big waves. It also takes practice to learn how to feel the momentum of the wave and move the board so that you’re riding with the wave rather than toppling under it! Once you’re coasting along in the direction of the wave, then you can begin to get creative with the tricks or stunts you can do within the wave! I’m told that when you get the hang of it, and the right wave comes along and you’re moving with it, and learning new tricks, it’s super fun!

Life is kind of like that. It comes in waves. You can’t control them. You can’t stop them. And, you can’t ignore them. This is a paradigm shift. You’re learning to ride the waves of life as they come. It takes skill, timing and practice, but we can learn to get on top of the waves of life and ride them in a way that is fun and creative! Or we can topple under them. I’m here to help you ride on top of this season of social distancing. You and the people you lead, the people who are depending on you can learn to watch the tides, take the currents as they come, and have some fun doing it. Yeah, we all have some moments or days that feel like we’re drowning in the wave, or fumbling helplessly to get on top. But don’t quit.

Thankfully life is full of new beginnings. That’s why people celebrate New Year’s Eve. We love a new beginning. But there are also new months, new weeks, and every 24 hours we get a new day. Lamentations 3:22-23 says that God’s mercies are new every morning without fail and His faithfulness is great. This new day and tomorrow and all the days after are your occasion for a new beginning. Rise to the occasion! Start something new — something good— something healthy — something hopeful and happy. Start to see the opportunities on the other side of the challenge of each day.

Here is my first tip for riding through social isolation well. It is, get up! Yup, that’s it, get up. When you’re stuck at home one of the biggest temptations will be to stay in bed longer, sit at the breakfast table longer, wishing you had somewhere to go that day. You’ll be tempted to binge watch your favorite shows, likely while munching on a favorite snack. You’ll see projects you’ve wanted to accomplish, and they will seem to stare at you and mock you for being stuck on your couch. Your biggest challenge every day and throughout each day will be to NOT give into your natural tendencies to sit.

Sir Isaac Newton in his first law of motion stated that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. In other words, the more you sit, the more you’ll want to just sit. But when an outside force, in this case your will overcoming your emotions, is allowed to affect you, you can change, and you can get up! And when you get moving, it will be easier to continue moving.

Don’t let these days at home mock you and your emotions that would keep you stagnant and accomplishing little. What’s is broken that needs fixing? What home improvement job have you thinking about tackling? Do you want to plant a garden? The weather is lovely, go for walks. Get some exercise. Whatever your hand finds to do, get up and do it with all your might. Put on some sneakers if that helps. Overcome the inertia, rise above emotions, do what most people wouldn’t and get moving! You’ll be glad you did.


Until tomorrow, I hope you see what God has placed in your life to bless your soul.




Comments


bottom of page