Have you ever placed your toes in the ocean before? Walked alongside the water to allow for the waves to crash over your feet?
When you look down you can see your feet through the waves. You can see that they remain on the ocean floor, well grounded. We aren’t afraid that the waves will crash us over in these first few steps into the water, because we know that the ground in which we stand is secure, firm, and unmovable.
As time goes on, we develop the courage to go out further past those little waves. We do this by simply getting older, or spending more time around the water. We become acclimated, by learning and watching the rhythms of the waves. We see that we can anticipate them now. We begin to look up more frequently; because we know that our feet are grounded in the ocean floor.
But then, while we begin to walk further out and the water becomes deeper we realize something. We are driven by the water, desiring to learn more. We want to experience the depths of it, even if we know that the waves are harder to overcome when we go deeper.
However, this is where and when we are given a choice.
Do we jump up with the wave to catch it? Do we create a gap between our known security that the ocean floor has for us or do we attempt to keep our feet in the sand?
If you have ever swam in the ocean, you know that eventually you have to jump if you want to go our deeper. You have to create a gap, between your feet and the ocean floor. You have to allow for yourself to have a gap.
This gap is called faith. We walk into the water, we walk into relationship with Him. Not overwhelming, but rather exactly what we need in those first moments, and then time goes on when it requires more and more learning and understanding. We want to know more, we want to go further from the shore of what the “world” is and has to offer. Ultimately, coming to this point where we have to jump, and truly put our faith to action. Our strength has officially run out (as it always will), and now it is time to truly rely on Him.
For me, I learned this lesson while I spent a LOT of time with the guys from Salted Surf School here in Jeffreys Bay. I knew that going on The World Race was a leap of faith, but like waves… they do keep coming. Certain months thus far have stretched me and taught me new things about myself, but even with these past few months our squad has had a decent amount of comfort. Flushable toilets, showers, and access to local grocery stores with WiFi. We have been able to stay in contact with you, and in that have not seen a big wave of discomfort since Nicaragua.
However, by the time you read this, I will be deep in the backcountry of Lesotho. We will have squatty potty’s, no access to wifi or outside contact aside from our Team Leads/Squad leads, bucket showers, specific dress code (only dresses… you guessed it), and a lot of other things I can only imagine.
I am honestly excited, and ready to be stretched. I want to jump into the wave, and trust that He will bring me over it to the other side. Abundance is ahead in Christ, but simultaneously there is a lot of abandonment from ourselves.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient in you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Shoutout to my EPIC mom, for encouraging me with this verse… well before the ocean taught me the lesson.
Please partner with all of us in prayer of abandonment of “things”, so that we can find full comfort in Jesus, and simultaneously I invite you to have the same prayer for yourself.
xoxo
d
