It was a stunning north shore morning. The waves were coming through in clean, predictable sets, powerful and brilliant. Looking down on Haleiwa from the road as I drove to my spot, I was getting excited even in the falselight of a barely risen sun.

               Despite it being Hawaii, the air was cool and crisp when I arrived. There was moisture in the air and a bit of shiver on my skin that was invigorating. I pulled my 1.5mil top over my head and immediately felt warmer. Then I removed my new board from its bag. I had just placed a new tail pad, and the wood grain under the epoxy resin showed all its character and potential waiting to be unleashed. I rifled through my trunk to get some wax and rushed the application in my excitement.

               I sped from my car to the beach, kicking off my sandals near a stone wall next to shore. I noticed others arriving and I wanted to get out there and enjoy before it got too crowded. The paddle out was long, but felt great. The water was colder than usual but exhilarating. It was the perfect temperature to really push myself hard.  

               I got out to the lineup without too much issue. Watched as some other folks caught waves as they rolled through, and got a good idea of where I needed to be positioned for the next one. After a few false starts, a couple short rides, and some misalignments, I saw my perfect wave. I looked left and right – nobody paddling for it. Behind me, no one in the impact zone to get in my way, and farther out the people sitting there knew it wouldn’t form until it went under them and reached me. I would be in the perfect position right at the peak, the highest point of the wave before it breaks into whitewater – and the best chance for the longest, most enjoyable ride.

               I turned to paddle, glancing over my shoulder to ensure I didn’t move into the wrong place. I paddled hard, one strokes, two strokes, felt the wave lift me up, stroke three and four in quick succession, and then cobra pose. Got it! I could see the drop in front of me, a matter of four or five feet. My line on the wave was brilliant, wide open, ready for anything. My heart pumped joy. I stood. My feet planted, I was on my way down the face in a righteous rush, and then – crash, splash. I tumbled and rolled head over heels in the confusing blue-green-white roar of the wave.

               I didn’t count how long I was held under, but I breached with a gasping yearning for air, my mouth wide enough to swallow the sky. Then I pulled my right foot back, where the leash was connected to the board, got it under my arms and draped myself across its float while I drank in the air in thirsting gulps. The wave was broiling out toward the shore in happy, playful, bubbling foam as if nothing had happened at all.

               No matter how far you come on your sanctification journey in this life, there will always be wipeouts. No matter how well you prepare, how much you study, how much you think you are ready for what God is going to throw your way for His glory, there will be times it doesn’t work out like you wanted. There will also be times when it just drains you of the hope and energy to continue. I am sure you can imagine how frustrated I was as a burgeoning surfer to have had that great opportunity that I just flubbed epicly. But it isn’t just noobies to surfing, nor to the Christian walk, who take twisted and difficult falls.

               If you watch any professional surfing, even those guys and gals will sometimes get thrown over the falls or smashed under a crest or plant a foot wrong, take a turn too steep or shallow. Those are timing and position issues. Perfection isn’t the game of sanctification, improvement is. Perfection is the realm of glorification, and will one day be our joy, but on this side of eternity we need to gain a healthful respect and joy in the wipeouts. Sometimes God uses wipeouts in spiritual life (a missed chance to share the gospel, a failed encouragement of a friend, a delayed apology) to remind us of our need for Him and that we still have a long way to go. Still, we can take joy in the fact that the King of the Ages gave us the shot to take in the first place, even if we wiped out, and we can trust that we are on the right track when we more consistently catch those opportunities that we may not have seen before. They won’t always be huge (not every wave is a big wave), but they’ll always be important.

               So when your next wipeout comes, and it will, try to be thankful. For those of us in Christ there will ever be more chances for His glory, just like there will never be a shortage of waves for long in Hawaii.

               I took a few more deep breaths, steadied myself on my board, and turned around and paddled right back out into the lineup. Maybe I could have just gone in and it wouldn’t have matter much with surfing, but we can’t afford to let the wipeouts take us out entirely in the Christian life. Praise be to God, that by His power, He will keep us through them all.