The Next Wave: 2014

2014.

It’s here.

When I was a child (who am I kidding? I still do this!) I would float on my raft watching and waiting to catch that next wave. Depending on the surf that day, the next wave could be full of the thrill of a great ride that would land me right up onto the beach or it could overwhelm me, flip me over, fill my nose with salt water and nearly drown me.

As I sit here at 4:55 AM writing this, thinking about the new year approaching I wonder which kind of wave 2014 will be.

2009, 2010, and 2011 were all the latter wave. Three consecutive years of being knocked off my raft. Three years of being caught off guard, against my will, in the churning of the wave, caught off guard so fast that I couldn’t gasp enough air going under that I thought for sure I would drown. I came out of the water with scraped up knees and elbows from being pummeled into the broken shells that littered the shoreline.

In 2012, I staggered out of the surf onto the beach with cuts and scrapes; wounds inflicted by the double standards of legalism, people I trusted that turned out to be wolves in sheep skins, and experiences of my past- from my life before I met a merciful Jesus.

Throughout 2013 I rested and healed on the beach. Watching as others rode the waves. I tested the water and waded at the water’s edge. Recently, I have made my way into the surf, encouraged to get back on my raft and catch a new wave.

My hopes are high as I wait for the next wave.

What kind of wave was 2013 for you?

What kind of wave do you hope to ride in 2014?

Share your dreams in the comments below.

Happy New Year!