Living Water by Larry Garrett
The surf was looking good and I was getting ready to paddle out at Chun’s Reef. As I was parking, I overheard a conversation and it was an interesting dialog about surfboards and which ones were “real”. I thought to myself, as I was eavesdropping, I wonder where this conversation was going to go and what these local guys were going to say.
At this point, I thought that anything that looked, felt, and had the dimensions of a surfboard, was a real surfboard. As I listened in, one guy began to say that anyone who rode a soft top wasn't riding a real surfboard... I began to laugh inside not wanting these guys to hear me and make big bodies because I was listening in on them. I sat in the truck a little longer thinking about how we as people need to define and evaluate things based upon our experiences and ideas. A thought came to mind and I wonder what Jamie O'brien would say in response to this conversation as he charges the Waimea Bay shorebreak on his line of soft tops. I have seen many people charge Keiki Beach on Wave Storms and live. I think about all the people who learn how to surf at Uncle Bryan’s Surf School and wonder if they think they aren’t really riding a surfboard as they catch their first waves.
This can easily be applied to our own lives as Christian Surfers as we meet new people in the water and wonder if they know about Jesus. Are they Christians or do they need to hear the Gospel? What is required in a person’s life in order for them to be considered a real Christian? What defines whether a person has real faith in Jesus? I believe the best answer to these questions in a Christian’s life can be found in the Bible. God says in John 3:16: "For I so loved the world that I gave my one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
It is clear that Believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the first thing needed to be evident in our lives to have eternal life. The key here is belief and where we place our faith. Just like surfers who place their faith in something they ride...we as Christians place our faith in Jesus.