Surfing Advice
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
Overriding Fear Can Help Us Find The New Thing Happening.
by Eric Elkin
“Look! I’m doing a new thing;
now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the desert,
paths in the wilderness.”
“Is there a strategy to not drowning?” Sports reporter Dan Patrick asked this question of the most accomplished surfer in history, Kelly Slater. The question was part of a conversation about which athlete — Tony Hawk, Shaun White, or Kelly Slater — risked the most significant physical toll in their sport. After processing the various challenges, Patrick pointed out none of those other athletes risk drowning.
Kelly Slater’s response was fascinating. He said, “In the maelstrom of chaos, you have to learn how to relax. When fear comes up, your heart races, your oxygen burns quicker. You have to learn how to override that software in your brain…that fear button telling you to be scared. You have to trust that the calmer you are, the longer you will last and the better chances you have to come up and be fine.”
Isn’t it funny, fear is a programmed response hardwired in our brains. Our minds are designed to sense danger and inform the rest of the body to help us survive. Yet, in many cases, like surfing, we need to learn how to bypass the fear switch and calm ourselves to increase our chances of living.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”
If you read Isaiah 43:19, you may be asking yourself a question. Why would anyone walking in the desert need to protect themselves from drowning? Obviously, you have not read Samuel Giere’s commentary on Isaiah 43:16-21. Don’t feel bad for not reading it. Nothing against, Sam, but I am sure it was not a best seller.
In his commentary, Giere reminds us of the historical baptismal pattern of Lent. In past times, Lent was when people coming into the Christian faith were taught what it meant to follow Jesus. The key component of following is learning to go into the water, dying, and coming up into new life.
Maybe that is a little heavy to consider this morning. Perhaps, you might want to reflect on Kelly Slater’s surfing advice. His words of wisdom extend beyond surfing. When you find yourself in the maelstrom of chaos, relax, be calm and understand something new is about to sprout up. COVID was not the end of civilization as we know it. In many ways, we discovered a new way to live. In 2014, when Russia invaded Ukraine, they faced little resistance. Maybe Ukraine defending itself this time is building a new national identity.
The fear associated with chaos clouds our vision and shortens our breath. Today, I invite you to stop for a moment, calm yourself down and breathe. Search out the ways God is working something new in you. Then let go of what is fading away and cling to the new thing. I guarantee you will find new life.
Click to read Isaiah 43: 16-21
Reflection Questions:
When have you found yourself in the maelstrom of chaos?
How did fear manifest itself?
What practices have you developed to calm yourself? Or, where can you go to find these practices
What is the new thing happening in your life?
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