Surfing USA

I grew up in Daytona Beach, FL and spent many hours at the beach. We were pretty poor growing up and the beach provided days of free entertainment. I never did try to surf (didn't know anyone with a surf board) but spent hours body surfing and riding boogie boards. We would paddle out and wait for the big wave to carry us all the way to the beach.

The key to getting a get ride back to the shore was being able to catch the right wave at the right time. You had to pay attention to what was coming at you, time your move just right, and have the guts to jump on the wave to take you in. It didn't always work out the way you expected and sometimes you ended up with a bathing suit full of sand and a mouth full of seawater. 

Life isn't a whole lot different from trying to catch that wave. We can get excited by the potential of an opportunity and if we aren't paying attention, act at the right time, or have the guts to take a risk, we simply miss out. Even if we take a leap of faith you aren't guaranteed to find success. You might end up with a bad taste in your mouth and a chafing sensation that rubs you the wrong way. You then have to decide whether you're going to wade back out for another chance or give up and sit on the shore. I can assure you that very little adventure happens while we sit watching other people look for the next wave of opportunity.

Winning & Losing (Part 2)

How do we intentionally play to win instead of coasting and doing the safe things in our lives?

• Having tough conversations with our children that guide them through difficult ages and decisions instead of coasting through each day & assuming things are fine because there aren't any glaring problems
• Speaking honestly & respectfully with our spouses instead of ignoring problems and hoping they will go away
• Living with a spirit of financial generosity that benefits your church & other missions instead of limiting contributions to what seems safe
• Taking risks in our career (even if that means changing jobs) to find the fit of vision and passion that God has created in us
• Giving up our most precious commodity-time-to volunteer in a ministry that stretches you instead of just a comfortable place that allows you to not feel guilty
• Contacting someone you have held a grudge against for years and asking/offering forgiveness instead of allowing a past event to control your present spiritual state
• Choosing to take an active role in meeting the needs of people in our community and around the globe instead of assuming that someone else will do it
• Looking at baptism & following Christ as the first step in our journey of faith and not the finish line
• Realizing that having kids that obey us & get good grades, a stable financial status, a job we don't hate, and a turmoil free marriage isn't the end goal of our existence. We are called to make a bigger impact that actively & intentionally seeks out God and leads to taking risks of faith that probably scare us.

Choosing the safe route might get us into heaven, but it isn't a life that will change the world we live in. We've got to expand our vision, take risks of faith, and play to win.

Winning & Losing

Are we playing to win or playing not to lose? In athletics this applies to teams that are afraid to take a risk that might lead to a loss. Instead they run a game plan that isn't willing to be aggressive, but hope that a passive (and somewhat timid) approach will bring victory. In my sports and ministry experience this isn't usually successful in the long run.

Just as there is a distinctive difference between the two methods in sports, there is the same discrepancy in philosophy of life. We are faced with the decision of which strategy we will choose to employ. The path of fear & hesitation is aimed at not disrupting our relationships or the temporary reality we feel we have worked so hard to construct. Pursuing God's vision will require a focused mindset that will change our actions. We will have to choose to have difficult conversations, to increase our generosity to the point of financial sacrifice, to risk rejection as we share Christ, and to boldly & consistently ask God for big direction that we can act on. These aren't actions of people playing it safe, but that isn't the way of life for a Christ-follower anyway.