A Wake!

Say only what helps, each word a gift. Ephesians 4:29 The Message

The warm weather and the promise of spring makes me think of how much I always have enjoyed being around water. Growing up in our small town, we were fortunate to have Lake Seminole about eighteen miles from our childhood home. Our Daddy bought a boat during our growing up years mainly because our Mama loved water as well, and she loved to water ski! They named the boat after each of us girls, The San-di-kay.

During the summer months, Saturday and Sunday afternoons would find our family, our relatives, and lots of friends at the lake. Our Daddy was the “Captain” of the boat which meant he pulled skiiers all afternoon. It didn’t matter who you were, if you got in line on the dock, he’d drop off a couple of skiiers and pick up a couple more!

Our Mama spent countless hours in the water teaching all of us to ski. She’d float around with us while Daddy circled around with the ski rope. Her instructions were simple: Keep your skis together, lean forward, and let the boat pull you up! Most importantly, if you fall, drop the rope!! If you get up, stay behind the boat, don’t try to cross the wake! Before she was finished with us, every one of us was slaloming, skiing with her, and crossing the wake!

The wake is defined as the wave a boat generates as it moves through the water. It is also said that the wake is the path you leave as you move through the water. It’s fun to cross back and forth across the wake once you become an accomplished skiier, but it can be treacherous and daunting for a novice. Many a new skiier has tried and fallen.

A wake can also be applied to our life when we think of it as the path we leave as we move through life. The results can be positive or negative, but each of our throw out some kind of wake. If we are breathing, we leaving a wake. If you are a skiier, you know that when you look behind you, your ski has left a wake of its own. Behind the wake of a boat, people are either skiing and having a great time or they have fallen and are in need of help.

What is the wake we will leave behind us in this life? Think of the people we most enjoy spending time with and describe them. Are they grumpy? Are they bitter? Are they negative? Probably not. The people who leave a wake like Jesus would do are celebratory, passionate, kind, loving, caring, and compassionate.

In our daily life, we need to be conscious that our wake will affect everyone we meet. We will either leave them better off, worse off, or unaffected. Phillippians 2:3 reminds us that we should do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but, to the interests of others. In you relationship with one another, have the same mindset as Jesus.

Our wake will be affecting people long after we are gone. and we may never know what the wake will look like. Everybody that we come across daily is fighting a battle of some kind, and we may be the one person that crosses their path who is able to speak a word of encouragement, concern, or caring. Don’t let them down.

It’s not always convenient to leave a wake that shows God’s graciousness and love to others. Graciousness is like our clothes; we have to put it on each morning and wear it all day. Thoreau says that it is not until we are lost that we begin to understand each other.

During the next thirty days of Lent, remember we are leaving wakes for others wherever we go! Be conscious of the impact our wakes have on those around us!

Dear Lord, thank you for guiding us as we make our wakes through life. We trust you to direct us on this remarkable journey.