My Mavericks

"The ones who push the limits discover the limits sometimes push back."- Chasing Mavericks, 2012

The 2012 film Chasing Mavericks tells the true story of a surfer named Jay Moriarty who trains to ride the mythic Maverick surf, one of the biggest waves on Earth. It is a powerful story about a young man who attempts to do the impossible. His love of surfing inspires him to enter dangerous waters, desperate to prove to himself that he is capable of overcoming anything.

Since viewing the film, I have begun to use the phrase "Chasing Mavericks" in my own writing. Often in my journal, when I'm talking about goals I'd like to achieve, I label them: My Mavericks. When I talk about insurmountable odds I may face, trials I am eager conquer, I think of them as My Mavericks. Whether we realize it or not, we are all chasing after the next big wave. It may be the education we are seeking, the family we are raising, the debt we are paying off, the trip we want to take, the house we want to buy, the temptation we need to avoid, the person we need to forgive, etc. We're all paddling out to face the waves every day.

There's an important lesson every surfer must learn if they are to successfully ride the waves: do not hesitate. If they get scared, nervous, afraid at the last minute and do not properly catch the wave or drop in, the wave will destroy them. It will pin them down beneath the surface of the water, leaving them disoriented or worse. So it goes with reaching goals or facing trials in our own lives. We cannot hesitate. The wave may seem too big, and occasionally we may duck under a few of them in order to build our own bravery. But we cannot duck under our Mavericks forever, and once we make the decision to face them, we have to do so with absolute commitment.

It's easier said than done, but delaying our schoolwork, procrastinating our repentance, allowing a trial to control us and drag us down into the depths of despair will ultimately leave us spiritually, mentally, and emotionally injured. My Mavericks are many. I have many weaknesses. Sometimes I feel like the hamster in the wheel, always running but never going anywhere. It's high time I trade in my wheel for a surfboard. There are waves waiting to be caught -- trials waiting to be conquered. Surf's up!

Photo courtesy of Pinterest.