Have a Little Patience

I had my very first surfing lesson awhile ago.

Bill's oldest daughter fell in love with surfing two years ago during her first lesson on a Father's Day weekend. This past summer, I have had the pleasure of watching her race out there into the water, patiently waiting for her wave and riding like a pro. I will bet money on it that she will be a pro someday!

I have always loved the idea of surfing. Surfers are just so cool, you know? I love to watch them out there. I am practically mesmerized as they glide on their board and ride the waves like nothing. Magnificent to watch, really. They make it look effortless.

Let me tell you that there is definitely effort needed. Specifically in the upper body. I also noticed that being patient while waiting for the right wave is a requirement and a skill to master. Seeing as I have only had my first lesson (and by the time this is published, I will have had two!) I don't yet know how to time the waves and to fully recognize when the right one would be. That will take time, and practice, and paying attention.

Patience stood out to me as I sat on the beach after my first lesson, my arms feeling sore after exerting energy to pull in to the waves, and I observed the remaining boarders in the water. They sat on their boards. Some of them hanging with the others, talking as they watched and waited. Others were watching, silently and enjoying their moment alone... waiting for that perfect swell.

Patience is not something we practice very well as a general rule of thumb. We want what we want and we want it now. We will willingly take the immediate set in front of us as opposed to letting the okay brush to the side and wait for best. Many of us have settled for mediocre waves as opposed to waiting for the best wave that we can capture and ride along. We have believed the lie that quantity is better than quality. Having something is better than nothing. But what if having nothing for awhile is best because just having that something leaves you tired, depleted, broken, poor or despondent. Why would that be better? Wouldn't that make us desperate? I fully believe God wants better for us than that.

All because we lack the patience and the perseverance to hope for and wait for the best.

My first weekend on the water, the waves were flat, according to Bill. He was my teacher and he knows the water better than I do. So I trusted him in that. And he was very correct. I didn't get up on the board that day, but I was able to find my balance in order to prepare me for the day I would get up.

That day was yesterday.

The waves were glorious and Bill kept commenting on how they were the perfect waves to stand up on. That I would be able to do it. He had a feeling. We threw on my wetsuit, ran into the ocean and after a couple of attempts and him pushing me in along with his instructions, I was able to pop up on that dang board!

I could hear Bill cheering in the background. I didn't stay up very long, but I was pretty stoked!!!

After that, more practice and lessons on waiting in between sets, how to rest and not wear myself out in between sets and other lessons to help me. Being coached requires patience. You don't know everything. You don't know anything, really. You more than likely won't get it on the very first try unless you are some type of prodigy. I am not, and I know most of us fall in the same non prodigy category.

I believe it is the same with everything else in our lives. As we go along, walking through our every day. We go to work. We raise families. We love our spouses. We connect and network and serve. We try new things and move toward new dreams, and we become frustrated when things don't happen as they should when we expect them to, and yet we are not willing to practice patience or have perseverance. We give up at the first missed attempt. No wonder so many of us feel disheartened and disappointed in our lives.

The waiting game is just part of life. You can't get around it. If that first weekend on the water, I gave up on surfing because I couldn't get up, I would have missed out on yesterday's awesomeness. Have a little patience when it comes to the incredible wonders of this life.

When it comes to love, don't settle for the first man who shows interest. You don't need a boyfriend that bad. Lots of people can show an interest in you. There are plenty of attractive, funny, successful people out there, but not all of them will fill your heart and care for you as you deserve. Wait.

When it comes to career/goals. You will likely have several careers in your lifetime. I learned recently that this is normal. I repeat, this is normal! Be patient. Be diligent. Be coachable. Learn new things. If that first attempt doesn't work, try again and practice perseverance and patience as you discover what it is you want to do.

Activities. Hobbies. New beginnings. Community. Whatever it is.

Let's be patient with ourselves and practice the art of patience and perseverance in our every day.

Tiffany Rhea