Holly's Big Desire

I am so proud of Holly!  She had a goal last summer to want to learn to surf.  We do go to the beach often, okay, a lot, but a surfboard is not in hand (it’s usually a fishing rod or beach chair) and the waves on the west coast of Florida are not known for surfing where we frequent.
I remember at the end of summer last year Holly saying, “I am NOT going to school until I learn to surf!” Can you see the head moving from side to side with a little attitude? Oh yes. Well, she didn’t learn to surf at that time, and she did attend her 8^th grade year.
Ahh, good things come to those who wait. Lamentations 3:25-27 (MSG) says, “God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.  It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God.  It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times.”   Holly definitely waited with passion. We all heard about her passion for wanting to surf.  She persistently watched surfing movies, shows, songs, books, etc.  She might not have “quietly” hoped to surf, she voiced her desire.  Holly did stick it out through the year until it was truly her time. Alright, so these verses aren’t really talking about a girl waiting to learn to surf, it is talking about waiting on the Lord and His salvation, but it sounded good to me.
Well, this past February, Tim and I had the memorable opportunity to go over to the east coast to attend the Daytona 500 races with some great and gracious friends. (Wow! How exhilarating!) While there we asked our friends, who just happen to have a condo on the beach and knew how to surf, if we could get their assistance in getting Holly’s desire in motion. Yes! They were all in and the plans for a great 14^th celebration were underway.
Once Holly was told of the plans, she could barely contain her excitement.
One of my favorite verses comes from Psalms 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Holly’s desire to surf was about to come true.

This past weekend Holly surfed!  The conditions were not ideal for a beginner surfer, but at least there were waves. The summer thunderstorms were all over the state and this called for some choppy conditions.

 
Those problematic conditions were not a problem for my Holly.  She was like Caleb in Numbers 13:30 when he was talking to Moses about the Promised Land and said, ““Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” The difference is, Holly probably said, “Let’s go tackle those waves.  I can certainly conquer them!”  Conquer she did.  Holly got up on her second wave! Then again on her third! She was a natural.  She was quite a distance from shore, but I could tell she was beaming with a smile of accomplishment.
The pounding of the waves as she paddled back out for more finally took its toll and she had to come to shore for a rest.
 

 

 
The next morning, Holly was back at it again. Her body was a bit weary and the waves were still not ideal for surfing, but that didn’t stop Holly. The waves would crash onto her and the board as she struggled to get to the location she needed to be.  Her teacher, our dear friend Bill, decided to bring his board back to shore and push her through the breaking of the waves. Isn’t that so like our Heavenly Father? When we are weak, He is strong. Christ says, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Again, success!  Philippians 4:13, ^“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Tim asked Holly if she was scared of sharks or the waves.  She said, in a way as if she was being interviewed on ESPN, “No. I was anxious and filled with perseverance.” 1 Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.”

What a weekend. What a birthday. What a trooper Holly is. Patience and perseverance was definitely learned.  I’m so proud of you, Holly!