“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou
The Ocean has a way of bringing unity to those willing to respect what the ocean provides. “The ocean does not discriminate based on who you are, what you believe or where you come from. As a result, those who enter the ocean to ride its waves leave those biases on the beach as well. Job titles, social class, religion don’t matter when in the water. It is the pursuit of waves and harnessing the power of the ocean that brings people together in a unique way”.2 There is no greater pursuit than the wave of love, which is able to break racial boundaries and reach through the deepest economic divide. This perfect wave awaits you. Proverbs 3:3-4: “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man” (NIV). Each day desire to find the perfect wave by how you choose to treat others and show respect. At times you may fall off but get back on your surfboard and ride again. You will never know who is watching your technique to be the next greatest surfer. In other words, your actions are caught and not taught. Your ability to demonstrate love and kindness to others means more than lip service. Change will only come when it’s modeled for future generations to come.
The kindness we show others can change the environment in an instant. Much of our friction and frustrations stem from a point of view of being right. When we consider others before us, we tend to enjoy riding the waves together in harmony. Being right is like slap boxing with the ocean, you will always get knocked out. I wish I would have learned that earlier in my marriage; it would have helped me avoid many frustrations. For instance, I have a poor habit of breaking or tapping the breaks from time to time while driving. During a trip to the hardware store with my wife I did the usual and startled her. She was looking at her phone, felt this nudge and screamed, “are you kidding, why do you scare me like that?” Well, the old “macho man” would say, “Are you driving, well then?” This clash of the titans and trying to figure out who was above the wave could have ended up ruining the weekend. The question I had to ask myself was, is it worth pursuing this argument or is reconciliation more profitable? Well, what do you know, the crashing wave was over in a few seconds? I simply said, “Honey I’m sorry for startling you and I will work on not doing that”, as I sighed with puppy eyes, and just like that, reconciliation brought the wave in and sent the wave out. Arguing is like a burning house, there are no survivors. Simply put, today try not to engage when things become hostile. Look for the back door of reconciliation and affirm the other person by apologizing and moving on. It doesn’t matter who is right or wrong. What matters most is the appreciation and respect you have for one another. Lisa Fipps in her journal called “Starfish” shares, “The best way to be understood is to learn and speak someone else’s language.”3
2-https://www.leadersurf.com/leadersurf-blog/ocean-as-equalizer?format=amp
3― Lisa Fipps, Starfish
Dive Deeper:
- Why is it important to respect one another, regardless of social class, ethnicity, or religion?
- Explain what is meant by “No greater pursuit than the wave of love.”
- According to Proverbs 3:3-4, What should we do with love and faithfulness? Explain why.