As many of my surfing stories start, it was dark as I loaded my board into my car. Dark because to reach the waves at sunrise, I must be prepared in the dark. There is likely a principle in that as well, but I will skip it for now. I reached one of my favorite North Shore spots, Pua’ena, at first light early in January. I was barely into my surfing journey, and still a kook who had no idea how to properly read surf reports. The ocean wasn’t dead flat, but it was dying flat. I sat out for maybe an hour and saw three ridable waves, though I was out of position for all of them.

               Rather than riding waves though, I did make a friend. We complained about the lack of waves and talked about where we were from, how we made it to the island and exchanged info when we got out of the water. This guy had been surfing for years and could rip the waves like nothing, but he had such a laid back demeanor and just wanted to enjoy. He invited me out after that to a few different breaks, and I was able to learn so much just by being out with him in the waves. He would coach me into position and critique what I was doing, then go rip up a wave himself for the fun of it. He wasn’t really even a teacher. I didn’t ask him for pointers or expect anything from him, but just by being around him, surfing with him, I saw massive improvements to my surfing skill.

               Surfing certainly can be a solo sport, but it is a lot more fun with friends and you grow faster when you are out with people who have been doing it a long time. Even if they don’t tell you exactly what they are doing, you can learn just by watching and assessing and, honestly, copying what they do. We learn best, especially early in a process, by imitation.

               This Christian life is never a solo sport, however, and in the same way that I can grow in my surfing by watching better, more experienced surfers and taking pointers from them, I can grow in grace through exposure to fellow Christians who are farther along than I, or even just in a different place than I am. We are all at different places in this Christian walk, and have multi-faceted perspectives on what needs to be corrected and how to grow at what points in our walk. Growth in Christ is not linear, after all, but multi-directional. Christ’s considerable use of agricultural growth for Christian growth is telling, as roots do not only grow down but also outward. Plants do not grow only up in one straight line like arrows in the earth, rather they branch out in myriad ways to produce fruit across a broad area. It is the same with us in the church, and in our individual walks with Christ.

               We can, and should, learn from every other believer around us. The friends we make within the body ought to make us better, and we ought to make them better. It isn’t always fun or perfectly natural, but we work out each other’s sanctification in relation to one another. Even the fraction of a moment with a fellow believer on this side of eternity has immense worth as we will be together in the presence of Christ for eternity.

               Wherever you are in your journey, make sure to find some people to get out and paddle and surf this Christian life with. We do this Christian life together, and trying it any other way is a recipe for disaster. Even better, find a teacher, and you’ll grow all the more, but that is a lesson for another time.