Have you ever waded out into the ocean to body surf while one wave after another pounds you?

None is strong enough to knock you down.

But each one slows you down.

Each one wears you down just a little.

By the time you reach the deeper water, you’re worn out.

This illustrates my last few weeks.

The internet went out, and we waited 36 hours for Spectrum to replace the modem and router.

My rental apartment’s wall unit air conditioner went out. I spent most of a Saturday replacing it.

My house’s air conditioner went out. I called a guy.

My lawnmower’s fuel pump went bad. I replaced it, but it still didn’t work, so I called a guy.

Interpret “called a guy” as “spent money.”

My garbage disposal went bad, and I spent another Saturday replacing it.

Got my lawnmower back, and the deck belt came off in the first five minutes. Called the guy again.

Except the call-a-guy thing didn’t work this time.

He said he would get the mower, but he didn’t show up. When I called him, he told me a bunch of other work had come in, and he wouldn’t be able to get to mine until the following week.

Meanwhile, my grass was getting close to knee-high.

So I told him never mind.

I’d figure it out myself. Back to YouTube University again.

In the meantime, I eliminated the urgent problem by trying to induce heat stroke in 90-plus-degree heat push-mowing my acre.

All of these waves hit at the same time I got a string of difficult and time-consuming title exams to do.

I have a full-time job. A side gig doing title exams. I own and manage a couple of rental apartments. My old dog enjoys daily walks.

I don’t have the time and energy to keep learning how to fix things that are purely maintenance and add no value.

Crash. Crash. Crash.

Wave after wave after wave.

And for me, these are particularly vicious waves. They hit me in a vulnerable spot: my feelings of incompetence.

Feelings of incompetence can ravage me at times.

I’m not a handyman. When something breaks, I usually don’t know what’s wrong, much less how to fix it. And every time I have to call a guy, there’s a little voice telling me I ought to be able to figure this stuff out myself.

But none are life-threatening or traumatic. Most can be solved by throwing money and time at them.

So, in the big-picture view, I am blessed.

But I’m also tired.

I need a break.

I need to get past the pounding waves, out to the deep water, and ride one back in instead of fighting them all. And maybe then I’ll lie flat on my back, letting the short water bathe me, and the sun tingle my skin.

But until then…

I need to remind myself that my incompetencies don’t define who I am.

Neither do my competencies.

I stink at repairing lawnmowers, but people rave over my homemade cinnamon rolls.

But none of these things matter.

My emotions can’t rise and fall like the waves over successes and failures. That’s truly a losing game.

I have an Anchor.

Sometimes I forget that. But Jesus is always there, promising never to leave me or forsake me.

He defines me.

His Word confirms my identity:

• I am God’s child. John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5
• I am Christ’s friend. John 15:15
• I am complete in Christ. Colossians 2:10
• I am free from condemnation. Romans 8:1-2
• I am inseparable from God’s love. Romans 8:35
• I am a citizen of heaven. Philippians 3:20
• I am God’s workmanship. Ephesians 2:10

I need to remember these truths when the next wave hits. And one will.

Where do waves hit you?

Feelings of rejection?

Fear of failure?

Worries about money?

Those concerns may describe something you’re going through. They don’t describe who you are.

They are real. They can be painful.

Even Jesus said we would have troubles in this world, but to take heart because He has overcome the world. John 16:33

I’m not much of a handyman and even less of a builder, but I know where I’ve built my house.

On the Rock.

The rain will come. The waves will pound. The windows may rattle, and the doors may shake.

But this house will stand.

Not because I’m a particularly good builder.

Because of what it’s built on.

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​Featured image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

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