Treasured Ministries

Offering women a biblical solution for inner healing

Self-Control

Riding Waves

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The waves roared, carrying the energy of the wind and currents before eventually folding upon the sand. The surf ran swiftly to the end of its journey to say a quick hello where she stood at the edge of the shore. Circling around her toes and then her ankles, the wave kissed her feet before making its retreat, leaving her feet encircled by sea foam. Washing away the sand beneath her feet, the wave eroded a small part of her foundation, and she sank deeper into the sand.

Before she had time to lift her feet, another wave was on its way to repeat the process. And then another came. Each time, she sank ever so slightly deeper.

She began to think about her past and how waves caused by the currents and winds of a broken world similarly eroded her spiritual foundation, little by little. She had no control over the waves that kept coming and crashing on the shore.

As waves are a part of the turmoil wind creates in the ocean, pain is a part of life inside a broken world.

And it comes in waves.

  • Waves of rejection.
  • Waves of loss of loved ones.
  • Waves of hurtful circumstances.
  • Waves of the past.

As each wave came, a little part of her foundation slipped away.

She was tired of standing on sand. She was tired of trying to control the waves.

Tears fell from her eyes and sat on her cheeks. Her wind-swept hair found a resting place when the strands stuck to her tears. As she lifted her hand to clear away the hair obstructing her view, her eye caught a group of boys surfing.

She paused and pondered how they were using the waves to their advantage. They rode the waves. The energy of the wind and currents carried them. If they fell, they got up again, rushing right back into the water. Their laughter rose above the ever-present hum of the waves. They did not stand on sand . . . they stood on their surfboards. Instead of fearing the waves, they used the waves to move forward.

Using the Waves to Move Forward

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  Matthew 7:24–27 NIV

In that moment, she felt the Lord’s presence standing right beside her.

The Holy Spirit whispered to her heart, “Let me teach you how to ride the waves of a broken world to bring you joy and show others my glory. I am greater than any wave you face. As you stand on the foundation of my presence instead of the shifting sand of circumstances, your survival mechanisms, and your emotions, the waves will not break you—they will build you. Live with great expectation by looking up.”

Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 1 Peter 1:3–4 NLT

Riding the Waves with the Holy Spirit

In eternity the waves of a broken world will not exist. In fact, the Bible tells us that seas, along with our tears, will cease (Revelation 21:1)! But for today she could face the waves, knowing that the Holy Spirit was there.

She was never alone. She was God’s child.

Nothing could ever take that truth away from her.

The power of the Holy Spirit was greater than the power that existed behind the waves. She was getting ready to discover how to ride those waves—and the first step was to live by looking up. She looked up, and as expectation filled her heart with joy, she lifted her feet from the sand.

Live with great expectation by looking up to eternity. The very best is yet to come.

She lifted her head and her heart filled with joy. Greater days were ahead. It was time to bounce back from the broken world and see hard times as a force to carry her closer to Jesus.

Like a holy thread connecting her to heaven, the Holy Spirit pierced through the darkness and offered a foundation to live through the storms of life—not merely to survive but to soar.

Nourish Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1–13

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

Perspective Shift

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Hi Treasured One,

What was your favorite memory from this past summer?

With fall close at our heels, I am ready to wave goodbye to Summer and welcome pumpkins and butternut squash soup. While happy to see my bathing suits head to the summer clothes storage bin (anyone else but me?!?), I will gladly hold the memories from our family summer Colorado trip dearly in my mind.

Enter our two-day rafting camping trip in the Colorado wilderness rafting down the roaring Arkansas River (emphasis my trip).

When you are married to a great outdoorsman and the mother of two boys who love exploration, on vacay you either join the party of outdoor adventure or sit in the condo.

(Can I get a witness?)

As we watched the safety video detailing rafting risks (which included death BTW), I felt my stomach flutter in fear as I heard their talk,

“Make sure you listen to your guide and let them lead you. Don’t worry about the rocks and the rapids, your job is to listen and follow the guide’s lead, so you can live the great adventure.”

Got it. Listen to the guide. As we signed our life away in the release form, I said a prayer to the Lord, the Ruler of All Nature. “Keep us alive.”

Enter Erika – our guide.  (She is pictured with me in the photo above).

As we began our trip down the river my soul survival mechanism of control kicked in.

While I listen to Erika give commands, in my mind I am questioning her ability and rowing cautiously. At one point I almost fell into the water. Erika must have caught wind of my fear because when my husband pulled me back into the raft she held my eyes with a reassuring look, quickly calming me with her confident voice,

“Don’t worry. If you fall in I will rescue you. I know the river. I know what’s ahead. Just listen and let me lead you. The best is yet to come. Now look up, enjoy the amazing scenery and keep listening to me.”

Shifting my sight up, my eyes rested on beautiful snow-capped mountains. The rushing river soothed my soul as the sound echoed in my ears. My grip relaxed on the paddles and I started to smile.

Adventure ON!

Erika was nothing short of amazing. She gave us clear direction to follow as we successfully navigated around seemingly impossible obstacles of rock and rapids. I can still hear her confident call, “Forward four! Left, give me two back. Lean in.”

Without rocks there would be no rapids. What I feared, she used as leverage to make us flow to our final destination. Mmmmmm

Enter Perspective Shift

Sometimes God uses life’s moments to paint pictures of spiritual principals. Jesus often used parable stories from everyday life to help others capture kingdom concepts. He did this for me on that trip two-day rafting trip in Colorado.

As we paddled, I pondered on this modern-day parable the Lord was painting for me:

  • The adventure of abundant life is not without the absence of adversity.
  • As I listen to the Lord and let him lead me, adversity becomes my advantage to push me in the direction of my final destination. Resilience to bounce back into a broken world comes from resting God’s leading not retreating out of life.

Enter our next Treasured Ministries Weekly Word Series. Resilience: bouncing back in a broken world. In this nine-week study you will:

  • Discover practical biblical principles for resilience as you walk through the entire book of 1 Peter.
  • Gain self-control to respond to the Holy Spirit rather than react to circumstances as you discern God’s truth through the Nourish Bible Study Method. Find additional resources here.
  • Be encouraged by supporting resources for your journey, including our podcast.

Find community with our Treasured Tribe. The Treasured Tribe is a community of women that look to God’s Word to define our identity. Join us for small group every week with our Facebook Live Message on the weekly nourish scripture. Come together live or catch the replay later.

You are God’s child, and whatever happens in this crazy world of ours, you can bounce back and become the woman God created you to be.

ONWARD!

Blessings,

Aliene

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.