Last week, I went surfing in El Salvador. I love to surf, though that's not what I was there for... But that's a story for another time.
Have you ever been on the shoulder of a good wave?
where the white water meets the smooth curl. It is the precise location of the wave's greatest energy. When a wave hits a reef or a sand bar at a suitable angle, it will peel to the left or the right, it's shoulder traveling one way or the other, carrying any surfer lucky enough to be in the right spot joyously along with it.
And so it was that, more than 2,000 miles from home, riding along on the shoulder of an inside wave, I was reminded of early years with Dad.
I was a very small boy, no more than two or three years old. My father used to pick me up and carry me on his shoulders.
I happily retain a very early memory of Dad taking me to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Though holding Dad's hand, I was surrounded by giants, my view limited to a forest of shoes and trousers. Would someone step on me?
Then Dad picked me up and put me on his shoulders.
Suddenly, I was transformed from a tiny sprout looking up at everyone and everything, becoming a true giant among men! I saw things from a new perspective. I could look down and all around at the world without the least worry about where to put my feet.
But as they say, "Time is fun when you're having flies"... Many years passed since that day.
In middle age, friend Cal introduced me to body boarding. After a somewhat slow start, I began to learn the ropes.
I started to understand that the place to be was the shoulder of the wave.
When I make the drop and crank in a tight left or right turn, cruising on the wave's shoulder, I feel a tremendous sense of well being. I am in just the right place at just the right time, and I stay there as long as possible.
I have learned to surf. Although it seems incredible to this former body boarder, there was actually something better than body boarding awaiting me. That something is the phenomenal sensation of actually standing on the shoulder of a six to ten foot wave. Wow! Talk about being on top of the world!
Jesus said some very interesting things before he left:
"In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." - John 14:2,3
and
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." - Revelation 21:1
One day, maybe long from now, maybe sooner than I think, but certain to come, my Father in heaven will pick me up on His shoulders. I will then have the best seat in the universe.
When that day arrives, I will ride on the heights. That will truly be the best place of all for me to be. I will look back and down on this world with genuine gratitude and appreciation.
Learn More About My Hope for New Heavens and a New Earth:
Eternity: A Mind-Numbingly Powerful Perspective
Why You Need to Know that Jesus is My LORD (And No Other Need Apply)
Heaven? No, I Mean the Real, Ultimate Heaven...
Enter Only: One Way
More Surfing Stories:
It's Here! Come Ride My Beautiful Magic Carpet
The First Wave
Eternity: A Mind-Numbingly Powerful Perspective
Making The Drop (A Poem of Sorts)
The Ocean; God's Finest Invention?
Paddling Out -- The Story
Colorful Art from a Personal Perspective; Introducing "Paddling Out"
The Humorous Truth; Willpower and Cold Water
Why Do Jerks Seem To Get the Best Waves?
Red Tide at Night
All Creatures, Great And Small
