A friend of mine once asked me if I ever wrote about the many adventures my husband and I enjoyed taking. I thought at that time that I rarely write to illustrate the good stuff in my life, after all, who would even want to read about my adventures? So from one wandering explorer to another, thank you friend for the prompt.
Over the last several months, my husband and I have taken up the hobby of stand up paddle boarding. It has invasively taken over all of our spare time (and some not so spare time) and grown into our own little craze. Marie Kondo can color code sock drawers all-the-day long, but paddle boarding sure 'sparks joy' in me. Water can figuratively wash away my cares of the world. Today I am finishing this post from a balcony where I can see the pink and orange sunrise at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The waves rumble deep in me: I have not a care in this temporary world. This summer has been for me a refreshing time of active water life while at the same time providing a few spiritual lessons. As we are wrapping up our season of adventure, I am reflecting on what God has taught me on a stand up paddle board.
Years ago we SUP’d in Florida while on vacation without it leaving much of an impression. It was something to do, a little rented fun while enjoying the clear, warm water and white sand. Then last year we bought a set of boards and thought maybe we’d give it another try closer to home. We struggled to stay upright the few times we tried and sorely gave up. Then came the summer of 2023, resolved to explore it again.
Initially we had trouble staying upright or even getting upright. Balance was difficult, strength to rise up lacking. We began ambitiously at Norris Lake where the water is clear emerald green but also very busy with boats; the unrest of the wakes never ceasing. It took diligence and persistence and several times of being suddenly tossed into the water. Bruises were handed out to show us what we were made of. But I wanted to feel it all; to know what I was able to do or not do. Simultaneously, I was also paddling through a spiritual season of needing to be shown my weaknesses. So I set out to discover exactly what my physical and spiritual vulnerabilities were. Where my own abilities end. To know where my lines get drawn. And also because, without bruises and trials, we might miss an opportunity to experience or recognize Gods mighty power in us.
We’ve now traveled with our boards through different states, exploring various lakes, rivers and seas. We’ve found every one of them different; not all bodies of water are created equal. Hundreds of hours were spent becoming comfortable on the boards, building strength and finding our balance. We discovered better ways of getting them loaded and unloaded, better places to put in, and better processes to enjoy the whole experience. We even learned safer ways to fall while getting hammered.
Finally, there came a time for each of us when we stood up quicker and stronger, stayed up for hours and no longer lost our footing when bigger swells came. We got faster, more agile, and started seeking the excitement of heftier waves to be thrilled by. We could explore for hours, him and I, taking peaceful breaks in the middle of calm water where we could breathe in the splendor of it all. Finally, the power of water revered not feared, beauty admired not overlooked.
I sensed God at work in these summer adventures. There was even a crazy struggle in the water where my phone was lost and even greater lessons were learned which I wrote about in a earlier post. https://michellehatter.wixsite.com/givengrace/post/drought-still-thirsty-in-the-pounding-water There are always things to learn along the way, with most things in life we experience. No thing, no event, is ever useless to God. I know He is not a wasteful God. So in line with the question my husband and I often ask of ourselves and others, “What is God teaching you?”, here I am.
Without a doubt, God has taught me things on a stand up paddle board.
I am reminded of Psalm 104 where King David describes the majestic creations of God. He catalogues how all of nature is under Gods command, including the water, waves, clouds, thunder and winds. I can’t think of a more relevant place to fully appreciate Gods power, and remember all his marvelous works, than on the water. And where I most feel his presence.
So here is what I have learned.
1. If you neglect it, you can't improve it.
First of all, we overlooked the joy that would be ours by neglecting the boards we bought over a year ago. We put off viable opportunities for a little fun. The boards collected dust and their appeal was lost. Once we did get them out, it was clear we needed practice. Lots of practice. A paddle board can sure knock the haughtiness right off a person. Waves are unruly and unpredictable, mighty and humbling. God rolled them our way and showed us his power. We submitted to them with the reverent respect they demanded. Through our willingness to keep trying, to diligently take the boards out every chance we could, our physical ability and confidence grew. Not necessarily a confidence in ourselves, but a confidence in God. That He would meet us there every time. We just had to show up. This also translates to so many things in life. Take my marriage for example. When neglected, it became weakened and undervalued. When it was brought back to life and dusted off, it needed practice and diligence. Now we show up - every opportunity - with a commitment to never give up, and God faithfully meets us there and it can keep improving.
Also as I think of this neglect, necessary balance comes to mind. Paddle boarding takes immense physical balance as well as actionable balance. It was my husband who first noticed that if he paddled on one side only, he went in circles, going nowhere. (Likewise, paddling in the wrong direction keeps us from reaching our destination at all). In the book of Nehemiah, the workers got so focused on building the wall they literally began starving from neglecting other basic needs. Life needs a balance of paddling on both sides. Let us not neglect good things by becoming too narrowed in on one thing; let us learn to balance the priorities in our lives. I am fully aware of my tendency to sit in low places for too long and avoid joy. So paddling has helped me break out of that and find value in experiencing joy, having some fun. When you give balanced attention to the important things in life, you can improve and strengthen them.
2. It’s all about where you place your gaze.
What I first noticed was where to keep my eyes focused. Strangely, it’s different when I am running, where it’s helpful to keep my eyes low, watching where my feet go. But on a paddle board that downward focus can make you both nauseated and unstable. On the water, I must keep my eyes to the horizon. Looking out ahead at the movement of the traveling ripples, taking in the whole scene. Staying aware of what is coming from all directions because waves can suddenly make random pattern changes. So can the conditions. We have launched in sunshine and left in sudden, pouring rain. So as in life, balance and stability are much stronger with an outward focus. God showed me that it’s not my own feet I need to watch to keep my balance, but keep my eyes on what he is doing in the vast horizon. Eternally speaking, maintaining a Kingdom perspective.
So while watching my own step on a run is useful so I don’t trip over my own feet, I need to watch where God is moving when riding his designs, his plans, his majestic waves. Staying too self-focused while a bigger scene is unfolding is dangerous and limiting. It has been a great reminder that self-absorption is hostile to a Kingdom perspective. And if I have learned anything on the water, it is that God, and his waves, will not be limited by my perspective. I must intentionally keep myself from getting too narrowly focused and avoid the inner tunnel which leads me to self-centeredness. Staring down at my own feet on choppy water will get me thrown off quicker than I can shout “I’m out!”. This takes me to 2 Corinthians 4:18. “We do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Here the Apostle Paul encourages those of us who believe in Jesus to focus our attention on the things of the Kingdom, our eternal destination, and not the fleeting distractions before us.
3. Mercy happens when we hit our knees.
At times when the water is rough, pounding from all directions, the only appropriate response as a humble paddle boarder is to kneel and paddle from your knees. When I have stubbornly stood to oppose rough waters, relying on my own strength and pride to keep me upright, I have been thrown off. But when I have seen fiercer waves approach and made a choice to kneel, and paddle with a lowly profile, I have experienced the mercy of the water. As in life, when I go to my knees and humbly submit to prayer, realizing my powerlessness in a situation, I can better experience the mercy of a loving God. To mitigate dangers with humility, we can experience so much more assurance.
In a season of my letting go of control, this has been a huge lesson. Being able to sit low and watch what God does, taking in what he is accomplishing without me. My ability and efforts and discipline have limits - yes friends, there are limits to what we can do. Life, like paddle boarding, takes a balance of humility and bravery, courage and boldness. It does take showing up but also a willingness to be brought low and surrender situations we are not in authority of. We cannot control the waves and we cannot control God. But on our knees, in humility and prayer, we can rely on his strength to give us exactly what we need for each moment and in that posture of surrender, weather any turbulence.
4. Sometimes we must sit still to be awestruck.
So as you can see, God often uses opportunities to speak to us, even when we are enjoying something pleasurable. He teaches us in both pain and in pleasure. Both noise and silence. But the sweetest moments on the water have been filled with simple peace, sky gazing, an undisturbed current. Taking intended breaks to rest, feel the sunshine, and hear the sounds of nature. To allow myself to be awestruck at Gods creation. To pray. This awe, which also ushers in a Kingdom perspective, always comes when I am not all stirred up in a frenzy. Stillness is essential to a Christian’s life. We can miss the clarity were craving when whipped up in the murky chaos of life. The answers are there, we just can’t see them. But when we spend quiet time with the Lord, and command life around us to be still for a moment, we can actually identify clearer answers with a sound mind. I admit there is a thrill in seeking chaotic and choppy waters to challenge our abilities and we can too often quickly put in, running toward the action. But at some point a discerning rest is necessary to grow closer to God and be amazed by who he is.
A paddle boarding blogger whom I cannot now find the name of, said this and I loved it so much I wrote it down: “Clinging to good conditions is like trying to hold the sea still. It leads to frustration. So dance, sing, toast. Then let go of its ever happening again.”
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