Surf.Your.Heart.Out

[ M a u r i t i u s ]

It’s been months since I returned from an island that seemingly stole my heart…

Ridiculous.

Is it the beauty? The experience? The adventure? The escape? The change?

All I know is that something was ignited within me. 
A switch was turned. 
A movement. 
A flash of life-giving desire. 
An awakening. 
Something greater than a simple-outreach-trip-get-away-with-my-parents-for-two-weeks.

The one day I was taken for a surf by the ‘surfing legend’ of Tamarin Bay. 

Yes, THE Cedric Holl took me surfing. How privileged am I? :)

Perfect weather. Nice waves. Free afternoon. Long board.

I’d been taught to stand on flat water so now the issue was fitting that into catching waves. Doesn’t seem like too much of a challenge when you have concept worked out in your head. And it wasn’t too bad – especially with Ced helping me catch the right waves (timing is essential) and pushing me because my arms weren’t strong enough to paddle out quick enough. 

However, the problem came with Ced pulling us out deeper as the waves grew in size. Adrenaline soon turned into fear. Pride was the only motivator for sticking it out. Four-foot-waves. My insignificant self on a life-saving longboard.

Ced taught me that if you don’t intend on catching the wave you have to hold yourself on the board and push through the crashing wave. Simple wena?

Ummmm…. NO.

My instinctive response was to push the long board aside and cover my head with my arms in an attempt to not be crushed by the massive waves. Each time, whilst I was gasping for breath and trying to drag myself back onto my board I’d resolve to stay on the board next time. Eventually Ced held me on the board so that I wouldn’t jump off. It worked. I learnt.

And it was in that moment that I realized something.

I felt the reverberating voice of my Savior saying “Hold onto me and you will see victory.”

The fear. 
The paranoia. 
The anxiety. 
The terror. 
The confusion. 
The pain. 
The destruction. 
The insecurity. 
The difficulty. 

The waves of this life. 


Strong. 
Massive. 
Overpowering.

Clutching onto HIM.

It may seem like the last thing you want to do. 
It may not make much sense.

But… I can promise you he will not fail you. 

I can promise you he will never leave you.

He

will

bring

you

through.

Psalm 42: 7 + 8

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

  By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.”