You Need to Fail
I was 14. It was 7am on a warm August morning. I was about to get the beating of my life courtesy of the Atlantic Ocean. Let’s backtrack. I grew up in Virginia Beach. We had surf, but rarely anything like the waves you see in surf films (documentaries, not fake surf movies with plots). I got my first surf board when I was 11. Me and my buddies had been surfing for some time, but were just getting used to surfing 2-3 foot waves. We knew a huge swell was coming in this particular August morning. It was supposed to be overhead conditions (6-8 ft swells). We were amped. Immediately, we realized these waves were breaking much farther out than where we were used to paddling out to. No worries though, we jumped in and began paddling out. A crazy thing happened, though. We never made it out.
We would get close and a set would come hammering in and thrash us all around. It was cycle of repeated beatings. We’d get close to the sets, and suddenly in would roll a huge wave and wash you back 100 yards. Our crew began to dwindle. Seven turned into four. Four faded to three. Before I knew it my cousin and I had been struggling for almost two hours. We had to watch guys surf what we couldn’t reach. It was miserable. I finally gave up around 11 AM. As I walked up the beach I remember making a vow. I promised myself I’d never miss another opportunity like that. From that point on surfing was more than a hobby. It became a passion. My cousin and I would go before school, after school, and every day during summer break. Even when there wasn’t much to surf, we’d paddle. Our arms would get tired and sore, but we’d remind ourselves that nothing hurts more than watching waves you can’t get to. The next time we found ourselves in over head conditions, we were ready. Here’s a pic to prove it.
What’s my point? It’s simple, to make it in any venture, you have to have that moment, that one point where you almost break. It’s a refining crisis in your life, because you realize whatever that dream, ministry, job, idea is, it’s worth fighting for. In ministry, you will have that day …many times. It’s during those minutes of pain and exhaustion that we realize whether or not what we’re attempting to do is really worth it. We’ll also realize how much time and energy it will take to be ready for the next occasion. My recommendation: relish the experience! Write it down somewhere. Tuesday, April 17th I realized this thing is worth fighting for. Anything worth doing, is worth fighting for.