Wave of TruthSample

Captive or Free

Are we free or captive? A self-searching question.

Geographic, Cultural, Social, Religious, Socio-economic demographics and legal requirements frame all our lives. These may often leave us feeling captive and looking for freedom.

In surfing, there is an innate drive to seek and find the original and unadulterated values, virtues, and essence of something simultaneously special and fragile.

The roots of surfing are rich and culturally significant.

Riding waves blend utility and pleasure, necessity and joy, and have been socially adopted by Polynesian and Peruvian societies for thousands of years.

So, when surfing became a commercialized sport, some felt the need to detach themselves from the profit-oriented side, new associations, competitions with rules and sponsor commitments, and look for something purer.

Surfing purists are often called soul surfers. Soul surfing is a philosophical and spiritual concept seeking to define surfing in its simplest form. There is, again, the drive to seek and find those original values and virtues.

Soul surfers have been called "the guardians of the ultimate joy of walking on water"(reference surfertoday.com). This is interesting as the first person I know to be recorded for walking on water was Jesus, who also had authority over the waves and the wind (reference Matthew chapter 14).

Soul surfing aims to represent a counterculture to the perceived legalism, conformity, and competitive pressure of the commercialised surf industry.

To bring freedom.

Today’s key verse and Chapter 3 of Galatians highlight the tension between often imposed religious rules and regulations, some people’s interpretation of what’s termed ‘The Law,' and the freedom of experiencing the true heart of God shown us through Jesus.

Reflection

The freedom of soul surfing is marked by some fresh life principles:

1. The surfer who doesn't feel the need to compete and rides waves in a way that gives pure joy.

• Do you have competitive critical views that rob you of joy and need freeing up?

“So, Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Galatians 5:1)

1. The surfer who feels the need to explore and search for uncharted waves. Soul surfers are explorers by nature, and searching for the perfect wave is part of their way of life.

• What do you most value, and what is worth seeking? "Seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)

1. The surfer who refuses to live under a brand or label, giving in to the pressure to conform to imposed expectations.

• What false expectations may you be living under, and how may you focus on Jesus’ help? “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)