Kyle Sullivan, Mid Atlantic Regional Coordinator

I love my summer job! I get to teach kids how to surf at surf camps as well as adults during private lessons. So much fun. I’m reminded everyday that learning little things and making small adjustments have a huge impact in the progress toward catching waves without an instructor’s help. The basics don’t change from lesson to lesson, but how an individual learns from instruction and correction does. People learn in different ways. The way students grasp concepts through trial and error, success and failure is always unique. What makes all the difference in the world is those who “want” to learn and “want” to receive the coaching. Attitude can change everything.

There is one thing that does not change across all levels of surfing ability: the need for instruction and encouragement to take the next step toward becoming better. Even the pros have coaches! It is easy to see mistakes others make and offer help and provide a solution.

The challenge for most of us is two fold: are we willing to receive constructive criticism? Are we willing to humble ourselves and ask for help? On a recent trip to Central America I was getting frustrated with not completing a maneuver. I was watching some friends pull off this basic move and comparison began to set in. Comparison kills contentment, btw. So I did what I probably should have done years ago. I swallowed my pride and paddled over and just asked. The friend, a much better surfer, asked some questions and gave me a potential solution. What I thought would have been embarrassing just needed a simple act of humility. The result? I took his advice to draw out my bottom turn just a little bit longer and bam! Literally “Bam!” The attack on the lip was cleaner and the re-entry more successful leading to a better approach to the next section of the wave. Wow! Just like that, I saw my need for change, met it with a little humility, then added the practical application to the situation which led to progress!

Isn’t that just like our spiritual lives? We tend to hold on to patterns of thinking, speaking, and acting that are wrong. We know it and lets be honest – others see it too. A simple act of humility and seeking counsel, advice, rebuke and instruction sprinkle in with some obedience and practice makes a huge difference in the outcome. What is maneuver is off in your life? Is there a pattern of thinking, speaking, or doing that you know the Lord is wanting you to humble yourself about and then set up a conversation with a trusted, godly friend? What are you waiting for? God’s wanting to set you up for the next section of life so He can throw buckets of joyful spray through you! “But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” James 4:6 (read through verse 10). Honesty + Humility + Grace = More Spray for Jesus.