the waves of life.

yes, those legs are mine! My friend and I used to go “surfing”, we would stay out the back for hours (ok, what I mean is that it would take us hours to get out the back…) we liked to be in the water by 7… (pm) Haha, ok all jokes aside, we definitely liked to get out into the water and have some fun!


I don’t know if you’ve ever tried surfing, or watched anyone else do it, but quite often the experience involves being thrashed around by waves that are so ridiculously powerful that it takes everything in you to keep your head above water! I love the commitment of the surfers who stay out there for hours, despite what the giant expanse of ocean throws at them, waiting for that perfect wave and then riding it in, free, exhilarated, loving life and pumped that they waited it out and got that wave!

Sometimes life can be a bit like the ocean, tossing you round, pulling you under, causing you to feel like you’re in a washing machine, smacking you against the bottom, filling your mouth with that salty gross taste when you least expect it leaving you sore and dry, stinging your eyes and your vision… There are times when it feels like you’re doing everything you can to stay afloat and not drown in this thing they call LIFE.

I have the utmost respect and admiration for those who, like those surfers, stay out there for as long as it takes until that beautiful wave comes rolling in, for those people who recognise that life can throw some nasty stuff at them and not always be what you’re hoping for, but regardless of what comes their way, they stay in the game and when that wave comes, when that set arrives, when they get that break, they will ride that wave with dignity, exhilaration, freedom and joy, thankful to God that they stuck it out!

I don’t know what kind of season you are in right now, whether life is sending some dumping waves your way or whether you are riding the best waves of your life; but either way, can I encourage you to persevere and not give up! James 1:2-8 (Message) says…

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

v12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.

Be encouraged today, that Jesus came to give you LIFE and life to the FULL (John 10:10), so even though right now life might feel a bit turbulent, be confident that your wave, your set is coming and you will ride it in victory and freedom!

love jodie. x