Navigating the Waves
By
Lexi Cole Ellis
“The
salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of
trouble.”
I had a childhood
friend who was terrified of waves…ocean waves and the wave pool at the water
resort. I couldn’t fathom it…to my fifth-grade mind, jumping over a wave as it simultaneously
slid over and pushed you up was the absolute best. But for her, a scary
experience of getting caught under a wave as a small child resulted in a deep fear
of jumping over it at the exactly right time and an inability to enjoy the
waves at all.
Sometimes waves come
crashing over us unexpectedly. Sometimes, despite all the careful navigating we
do, a situation hits and the waves we were easily coasting over now have become
scary. All of a sudden, we are out of sync with our jumps and the water is
billowing over us as panic and a sense of losing control takes over. A job
loss…a conflict with a loved one…a health scare…the fear of an unknown outcome…the
waves of unknown and fear start to drown us. I love what Mark Hall and Steven Curtis Chapman write in the song, “Voice of Truth”: [1]
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win…" [2]
Thankfully, the story
doesn’t have to end there. Thankfully, we serve a God who rescues us in His
perfect timing from the actual waves AND additionally saves us from being paralyzed
by the fear of waves. We don’t have to navigate through the waves on our own. As
believers, we’ve been given His Spirit and His Word that remind us of the countless
times God has been faithful in and through the storms. Additionally, we have
community with other believers in God’s Church, a community which supports us
through the waves and reminds us to cling to our God, actively pursuing a
relationship with Him.
Years ago, my friend
missed out on the wave pool because of her fear of the waves. May we be people
who depend on God…so that when the waves come, rather than being paralyzed by
fear and unknown, we navigate through them with the help of His Spirit, His
Word and His community of believers.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
What do you need to do to depend on Christ to help you navigate the waves in
your life?
2.
Consider listening to the rest of the song, “Voice of Truth” as you start your
day. (http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=DGGPNNNX)
FURTHER READING:
Lexi
Cole Ellis and husband, Andrew, have a puppy named Calvin. She teaches sixth
grade at Silver Lake Intermediate
School. She serves with
Oakwood Children’s Ministries and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.
