Surf's Up
"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."

- Anonymous

Can you remember your first time at the beach when you stepped into the ocean and felt its awesome power in the form of the waves, swells and undercurrent?

At 7 years of age, having just come from Ohio with little swimming experience in anything other than the YMCA indoor pool, I was somewhat intimidated by the raw power and vastness of it all.

I saw the other kids out there having a ball, and I couldn't wait to try it, but I was not too excited about the temperature of the water or the size of the waves. However, I realized that if I wanted to play in the ocean I had to get wet and face the waves, so I jumped in.

I recall wading out into the surf up to my neck and trying to keep my feet firmly planted on the sand under me as the waves and swells rushed toward me.

As much as I resisted and fought the swells, they lifted me up off the ocean floor, and I floated like a cork on the water, totally out of control until the swell retreated and gently set me down again. I was only "in control" until the next swell came.

In time, I learned to cease resisting the waves and simply surrender to them. I actually began to enjoy being lifted off of solid ground, and the feeling of being temporarily out of control was no longer a terrifying experience.

It brought a certain sense of freedom and power with it; I felt sort of bonded with the power of the wave. It was an awesome feeling.

This experience became one of my first life lessons, teaching me just how little control I really have over anything outside of my own mind and body and how vital surrendering my need to control is.

I also discovered that learning to swim and ride the waves is a very experiential thing- we can't do it by watching others do it; we have to jump in and get ourselves wet.

Life is just like the ocean, isn't it?

Every day brings with it waves (challenges) and swells (fears larger than life) that seem to have so much power, and, if we allow them to, they will intimidate us and keep us sidelined on the beach.

However, if we want to have a fully expressed life, we are going to have to get wet and wade out into the surf.

Yes, from time to time, we all have those waves that simply seem to overwhelm us. Those are the ones we need to be willing to let lift us, not drag us under. This can be difficult to do if we think we can control the waves.

At times, do you feel as though you are being overwhelmed by the waves in your life, being pummeled, tossed and turned? The next time you feel a wave coming on, notice any tendencies to try and push back or control the event or situation.

If you can clearly see that you are in over your head, in that moment of mindfulness take a deep breath and invite the infinite intelligence, which brought you into this world and knows how to sustain you, to lift you and carry you over the condition and turbulence at hand.

Let go of any need to control or manipulate when in your heart you know you have no power to do so. Feel the sweetness of release and float in it with grace and ease. That is God, supporting you.

The key is to understand that we will never be able to control the waves of life, but, surely, we can learn how to surf.

It's about knowing how and when to let the waves lift us and carry us. It's about surrender in the moment and trusting that the divine intelligence within us knows what It is doing.

If we are truly open to the lesson, each wave we encounter in life will contribute to making us master surfers- masters at letting go and letting God.

As they say in Malibu, "Life's a beach and the surf is up," so jump on in and enjoy the ride.

Dennis Merritt Jones is the spiritual director for OneSpirit Center for Conscious Living in Simi Valley. His website is www.OneSpirit.org.