Written by: Gracie Stack | Communications Manager
Photo by: Leason Dancaescu
Starting my day with a sunrise and salty hair was my reality in high school. I would wake up every morning and surf. It didn’t matter if the surf was good, bad, cold, or blown out. The more time I spent in the water, the better. Even if I only went for a swim, I needed to be at the beach. Growing up, I had a lot of health issues with asthma and allergies. It eventually came to a point where I could not go to school and was homeschooled for a few years. And the wise woman that my mother is, she knew the best way to heal damaged lungs was swimming and salt air. Surfing every day is what changed my life. This ritual brought me stability, strength, and confidence in and out of the water. Because of that dedication of time spent in the water, I became a beach lifeguard and have been able to surf amazing surf spots around the world.
Spiritually, we need to be dedicating our time to God. As a mom of two boys under three, my daily walk and surf life look drastically different from me in high school and college. Dawn patrol isn’t a reality for me anymore, and spending an hour in quiet time with God is few and far between. So I have had to adjust my perspective. My time with God also includes my sons. Reading them Bible stories, listening to worship music, and showing them how to talk to God. Surfing is going out with my two-year-old on my back and riding baby waves together.
I love the theme in the Bible that God shows up for women in their everyday lives and tasks. It is so easy to just say, “I don’t have time to spend with God today.” But in reality, God is there, always ready to spend time with you. He is like the sunrise every morning. Just because the ocean is raging and the waves are tossing me around, He is still the same.
Hebrews 6:10: “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
As Christians, we are to give our best to God, because He gave everything for us. Each season of our lives may look a little different, but God sees our hearts. He knows what we are able and capable of in each season of our lives. We have a heavenly Father who cares for us and wants to share each moment with us. Like the sunrise, His mercies are new each morning, and He is there waiting for you. In the good, the bad, and the blown-out days.
1 Peter 5:7: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares for you.”