Last week, I went on a trip with my son Benjamin to the Midwest. Our first stop was visiting a friend from my time in New York City who opened a wake park in Rockford, IL, West Rock Wake Park. At this wake park you can wakeboard but instead of a boat, cables are pulling you along. I have only been waterskiing once, and that was many years ago. However, getting up on the water is the same skill.
My friend Dan taught us how to let the cable pull us up, and he repeated the instructions several times. You are to bend your knees, have your bottom touch your heels, and have your arms straight. Let the cord pull you up as you slowly stand up. The key is not to pull with your arms or push the board with your legs against the water. You do have to hang on tight with your arms straight. And as you rise and balance yourself, you need to not make hard sudden movements. Dan mentioned that women do this better than men because men force their way up.
This skill of wakeboarding illustrates our relationship with the Lord. You have heard it said, ‘Let go and let God.' This slogan only tells part of the story. There are things that we are to do in our relationship with God. When someone puts themselves in the correct position to be pulled by the cable it is like putting yourself into a position for God to work in your life. The best way to do this is to have regular time with the Lord in reading the Bible and prayer. You trust the Lord as he directs you where you are going as you continue to be in a position for him to take you somewhere.
Though some may want to avoid water skiing, we all need to allow God to work in our lives. The Apostle Paul said, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). We are to work out what God works in. You are going nowhere if the boat (cable) is not pulling you, just as you are going nowhere if God's Spirit is not working in your life. We are to cling to the handle just as we cling to Christ. It is not a one-time joy ride but a constant position in life to seek the Lord.
We are to cling to the Lord and trust in him. Paul encourages those in Philippi that they are to be, “Children of God without blemish amid a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16). Our job is to hold onto the Lord, and he will take us where we need to go and what we need to do. Paul encourages the faithful that we will finish our journey, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
