Dillon Community Church

The Waves of December  

8 strokes, I throw my weight forward as I feel the water rise behind me. "I have it this time!" I think just as the crest of the wave creeps past the front of my board. Feeling drained and my arms getting tired but not willing to give up; I start paddling as the next wave fast approaches. 1, 2, 3 strokes in and I look back to see my mistake. I put myself directly in the impact zone. In an instant I am crushed and buried by the overwhelming force of the ocean. All I can do is wait as I tumble in the wave. After about 12 seconds I surface and take a tall drink of sea water as I'm smashed again, only to be deposited near the beach, beaten down and defeated.  

I think Christmas can be like that story. More often than not we get caught up trying to ride every wave (parties, gift giving and merrymaking), only to overcommit. This puts us squarely in the zone of stress, fatigue and foregoing the original point. That happens to me more than I'd care to admit. All this to say, we should be intentional this season. Let's catch the wave of Jesus and shred with the spray of eternal glory in the air. That's a surefire way to ride out knowing it was a Christmas well spent.  

Arel Svenson – tech guru and DEFINITELY a good surfer