Ephesians 4:14 “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching….”
un·du·la·tion: a regular rising and falling movement.
Although most commonly associated with the back and forth movement of waves, I’m struck with how much of life consists of undulations. One day we soar to the heights, the next we plummet to the pit. Up. Down. Up. Down.
It reminds me of when we took our son, Josiah, back to school in Nashville. We started the 750 mile trek in great spirits, then right after crossing the Tennessee border we decided to find a motel for the night and finish the trip the next morning. After seeing a billboard that read LOW RATES…we were Up.
But unknown to us, the Nascar races were in town and all motels were booked…we were Down. However, the clerk at the Best Western gave us a number to call when we got further down the road. It was still early, so we started off again….relatively Up…until we realized we were leaving a trail of brake fluid behind us…definitely Down.
We coasted into a Hardees parking lot where the manager offered to drive my husband to an auto shop located down the street. They brought back enough fluid to get us to the parts house…such kindness helped us get back…Up.
Unfortunately, no one at AutoZone could fix the car. We would have to leave it at a garage over the weekend since by now it was late Saturday night and nothing was open until Monday. In addition, there were no car rentals open so we would have to find a motel for the night (in the town where all rooms were booked)…Very Down.
We made it back to the Best Western and the clerk proved to be quite sympathetic to our cause. She found a handicapped room for us to stay in and charged us half-price. When we walked into the room I couldn’t believe what I saw. On the desk was a Bible opened to the Psalms. Under it a note read: We hope God will grant you peace and rest while you are under our roof….more Up than you can imagine.
Seasons come and go in life. Not a lot remains the same. Much of our maturity rests on how well we learn to ride those undulating waves. So let’s not be tossed back and forth. Let’s expect the inevitability of change and go for it…
Surf’s up!