The Fiberglass meets the wave

Weather. Serious weather. This past week I have come as close as I have ever been to a category-five hurricane, well, actually any hurricane for that matter. Currently I am in Orlando Florida "on business." Throughout the week there was much discussion about whether hurricane Katrina would swing up the east coast of Florida and give us a taste of some serious Florida whether during our training. (As if the 85% humidity was not enough.)

By the grace of God the Hurricane was only a category 2 hurricane when it hit Miami (home of the Miami Hurricanes) and spun off into the gulf of Mexico. Now it is picking up fury as it funnels its way to New Orleans, where thousands of people evacuating the city or cramming into the SuperDome.

At one point as I was watching CNN (a phenomenon that I have come to enjoy), the anchor was talking with an analyst and the anchor commented that the classification of the hurricane and just been downgraded to a level five with 175 mph winds to a level five with 165 mph winds and was asking the analyst if he was happy about this to which he commented that it was similar to the difference between getting hit by a semi or a freight train- not much difference).

When I think about the Gulf of Mexico right now I think- waves, big waves. Waves that not even the great Laird would want to tackle. (He would probably to decline to surf them due to the inordinate amount of fetch). At one point, I wondered what it would be like to go to the coast and try to rent a board and catch some of the good hurricane waves. I dismissed the idea when I remembered one thing- Florida sharks bite.

This is the part of the blog that you are probably wondering how Bill will tie all this talk of weather and surfing into what is happening right now in his life.

I feel that much of my life up to this point I have been standing on the shore, board in hand- knowing that there are the big waves of life in the real world were out there. But never actually riding them. (This is not to say there have not been "waves" in my life before or that I have not been in the "real world" up to this point, these are just the I-live-in-an-apartment-and-work-at-a-secular-job-where-almost-everybody-wants-to-get-slammed-every-night-during-training kind of waves.)

Not anymore. I feel like I have been dropped off of the helicopter into the waves and the only thing that is going to keep me afloat is my board- God's Word. When I surf, the board is always my place of refuge. I can't stand in the deep water and can't tread forever so I cling to my board. When a wave is coming straight for me, I cling to the board with all of my might. The times that I feel the most secure are when I am sitting firmly on top of the board.

During the past couple of weeks, I have gotten a taste of how difficult and full of "waves" life can be. Perhaps one of the biggest things I have learned is my need for the wisdom from God's Word and constant communion with Him.

Psalm 7:10- My shield is with the Lord, who saves the upright in heart.

B. Blakey

(Picture courtesy of foxnews)
(Larger font courtesy of readers with eye trouble)