The clouds filtered
the first rays of light as we stepped onto the boat that morning. We flew over the crystal, translucent sea to
the point and leapt into the line-up at 6:36am.
In the saltwater I
was fully awake and fully alive, witnessing the magic of a six foot, ten second
period swell. The left reeled,
connecting in perfect precision with a barrel section. We joined five others in the water who I had
shared waves with before, and I knew all their names. I cheered for Hannes, as he took off deep,
got barreled, and rode the wave to its full potential disappearing deep inside
where the reef got shallow.
I lined up with the
waterfall and the next set wave broke wider; the peak chasing me. Joan and Juan David shouted for me to take
it. I did. I rode the fast, pitching wave all the way as
if in a trance. It felt like a dream
when the moment I paddled back to the line-up another perfect peak came right
to me. I took it again in the same state
of nirvana. It seemed too good to be
true when the same happened after I paddled back again to meet another
seamless, overhead wave that offered two barrels! It was 6:52, and it was already the best day
of my life.
My heart, soul, and
mind thanked God for the gift of surfing, and I watched my friends catch waves
as I awaited another. I admired the love
birds that filled the sky in Bocas del Toro, Panama. They chose a mate for life, and soared in
pairs between the clouds and bright beams of light. They flew free, sharing the joy of gliding
along through paradise. I felt a
connection to them as I soared, flying free down the face of a wave. In those pure moments nothing mattered as I
glided over the surface of the sea and returned to smiles and laughter of
friends.
Then a boat of four
surfers pulled up. They jumped into the
water and sat all around me. A set
rolled in, and I saw panic in the eyes of one of the girls. I couldn’t go for any of the waves because I
was surrounded by them and would have run them over.
The next boat
carried five surfers who paddled straight to the peak. The entire vibe in the water changed. The celebration of tube riding and wave
gliding with friends transformed into war in a matter of minutes and a few
boats. For every wave, at least five
surfers paddled for it and someone dropped in on someone else. The next boat arrived, and four more surfers
jumped in and sat right next to me. When
the next wave came my direction and I was in the peak, and a guy paddled around
me and snaked me, putting me right under the lip of the next wave of the
set. I almost got hit with the boards of
all the other scrambling surfers around me.
It was 7:15 when the
next boat arrived dropping another five surfers into the water, and I moaned
and shouted to Joan, “Seriously?
Noooooo!” I was annoyed with each
new surfer.
I managed to catch
more waves while I was out there, and miraculously dodged numerous collisions
with the other surfers fighting for waves.
By 8:30, when our boat arrived, I was happy to leave the water. There were at least 40 people in the water by
then.
I realized as I sat
in the water, aggravated with every new surfer entering the sea, I was
forgetting the most important thing I am called to do as a follower of Christ. Love one Another.
Matthew 22:35-39,
“One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question,
“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
Jesus replied, “You
must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your
mind. This is the first and greatest
commandment. A second is equally
important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
This is known as the
greatest command. The Bible even says
that there is nothing special about loving your friends, because everyone does
that. The true challenge is to love
others, not just your friends, and even takes it further, but to even love your
enemies. Christ teaches us to love in an
extreme manner; revolutionary style.
Normally, when I
translate God’s commandments to my life I think I’m doing pretty well. I’m a pretty loving person, and I truly do
love people for the most part. That day
I realized that in the thing I love the most; surfing, is where I am the most
tested.
Of course this is a
good commandment, imagine how harmonious the line-up would be if everyone acted
as if they loved one another? People
would take turns, and there would be no such thing as dropping in or
snaking. Just imagine!
Photos by Martijn van Hoek