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I Have Called You Friends Father's Words of Encouragement Out of the Darkness A One-Second Moment Of Joy
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A One-Second Moment Of Joy
I attended a men's retreat in California the first part of June. This has become an annual get away for Karl and I at Grace Ministries. This year there were eight men from Virginia who attended this retreat. Our 4 days in California started with two days camping in San Clemente National Park, which is right on the Pacific Ocean. Our time was filled with eating Mexican food, walking through surf shops, relaxing on the beach and sitting around a fire pit together in the evening. Each day at the beach we spent time talking together about what the Christian life looked like for us. These two-days, before the formal retreat, bonded our heart in a special way. Most of us will return next year hopefully with friends. Who knows, you might be with us.
One afternoon I spent some time watching one of the local surfers. Seeing him reminding me of my used 9'-10' Hobie long board that I had in High School. Even though the surf is very different on the east coast, being seen as a surfer was very cool in the late 60's. I'd go up to Ocean City and give it my best shot. To be honest, I spent most of my time retrieving my board from shore and trying not to drown after falling off. I don't think I ever really rode on a wave and I sold the board before the summer was over.
I had watched this local surfer ride up on his beach cruiser with his surfboard on a side rack. He walked down to the beach and simply stood and watched the waves for a short time. He was checking out where the waves were braking. He put his towel, shorts and flip-flops in a pile and then walked down to the water and paddled out into the surf alone.
The waves this day weren't very big, in fact they reminded me of the east coast surf. However, this didn't matter to him. Time and time again he would sit on his board and look out into the ocean for the next wave he could catch. This surfer was focused on getting up on his board. The only problem was each ride was very short; at best one or two seconds. He spent more time getting back on the board than he did riding it. Time and time again he would sit and wait for his next short ride. He was looking for that next one-second moment of joy on his surfboard.
For myself I found being a surfer was a lot of work with no reward. The fact is I never was a surfer because I gave up before I found the joy of riding on a wave. I hadn't found what really drove the heart of a real surfer. The best I could do was pull off the look. I had the jams (surfer trunks), the surfboard and roof rack, the blond hair, the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean music, a skateboard, plus the special words surfers used. The fact was I was a want-a-be surfer, a poser. The fact was I was clueless to want it meant to be a surfer.
The more I watched this surfer in California the more I understood why he was out there. He was a surfer because he knew the joy of riding on a wave even if it ended by falling off each time. In fact, falling off the board is part of being a surfer.
Think about it, a one second ride made all his hard work and efforts worthwhile. In the hour or so that I watch him he had 20+ rides of one to two seconds each. Thirty five seconds of joy out of and hour was why he surfed. He rode to the beach every afternoon after work knowing he would find the joy he so wanted. Yes, he would have to fight through the waves to get out beyond the breakers and sit on his board looking for the next wave; because the waves held the Joy he was looking for. And like most surfers, as he sat in the water waiting, He probably dreamed about one day riding one of the big waves on the North Shore in Hawaii.
So why do I share this with you? I've come to see that most Christians that fill our churches today are clueless of the joy that comes from having a personal relationship with the Father. They have never experienced the moment-by-moment presents of His spirit washing over them filling their heart with the fruit of His spirit. Or the times when He speaks into our lives the words we so need to hear.
Like myself in High School acting like a surfer, most Christians have been taught the same thing. To be a follower of Christ you need to do the things other Christians do even though your life never really changes. We become involved with church to gain the acceptance of others we long for not really knowing the Joy of a relationship with the Father.
As a surfer, I burned out in one summer because I never found the joy of riding on a wave. Burn out happens everyday among Christians and those in ministry because they are working so hard to please God hoping one day they will achieve the Christian life. The truth is the Christian life, or a spirit filled life, is some thing you experience and then express, not something you produce by your own effort. The Christian life isn't an act to perfect, its simply living day-by-day trusting God to give you wisdom and guidance for your life.
The fruit of His spirit contains many wonderful elements. "Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control". With this spirit meeting all of our needs, we no longer need to put on and act, we simply express what we experience from Him. The by-product of seeking the Father with all our heart is we receive the knowledge of His heart towards us. His heart becomes ours. His Love and Joy and Peace so fills our lives that we stop acting and simply enjoy being His beloved children.
Like the surfer in California, if we continue to look for that next moment of joy on the horizon we will find it. I'd encourage each of you to spend this summer looking for your next one-second moment of Joy with Him. The more you look for Him the longer the moments will become. Who knows, your next ride could be on a 45' wave on the North Shore of Hawaii yelling Yaa-Hoo with the Father.
