The Day I Almost Drowned
It was a Wednesday afternoon in Surfside, Texas. The forecast showed something rare for the Gulf of Mexico: waves pushing 8-10 feet. No hurricane. No storm system. Just an unusual swell rolling in after work.
I didn't wait for my friend to finish waxing his board. I walked out 200 yards on the jetty, timed the waves, and jumped into water that was murky and brown with zero visibility.
The first big wave came. I paddled for it. Got to my feet. And then—BOOM.
The wave threw me over the front of my board and plunged me underwater, tumbling me around and around. I was spinning, completely disoriented. I wanted air. I needed to breathe. But when I tried to swim up, I hit a wall—like a 300-pound person sitting on my chest. I couldn't get up.
Panic started creeping in. I opened my eyes underwater, looking for light to swim toward. Nothing. Complete darkness. For all I knew, I could've been swimming parallel to the ocean floor—or worse, deeper into it.
And that's when I forgot the most important thing every surfer knows.
The First Rule Every Surfer Learns
A week later, I called an old friend—a guy who's surfed for 50 years, lived in Hawaii, knows the ocean inside and out. I told him what happened.
He stopped me mid-story. "Bro, bro. You forgot the first step. The first step has saved me many, many times from drowning."
"Whenever you get hit by a big wave and you're knocked underwater, spinning around, upside down, and you don't know which way to go—reach down to your ankle and grab hold of your leash. Climb up the leash. It's tethered to the surfboard on the surface. That will save your life."
I knew that. I'd done it before. But in that moment, in those murky waters, I forgot I was tethered.
When Life Knocks You Under
Here's the thing: most of us aren't literally drowning in the Gulf of Mexico. But if we're honest, a lot of us feel like we're spinning underwater in other ways:
● Financial pressure that's crushing you
● A relationship that's falling apart and you can't fix it
● A health diagnosis that's rewritten your future
● Career uncertainty that keeps you up at night
● Anxiety about tomorrow that steals your peace today
When these waves hit, you lose your bearings. You don't know which way is up. You're swimming as hard as you can in the dark, exhausting yourself, and you're not sure you're going to make it.
And just like me in that moment underwater, it's easy to forget the most important thing: you're tethered.
What the Leash Represents
A surfboard leash is simple. It's a strong cord about 6-10 feet long, attached to your ankle on one end and your board on the other. It weighs almost nothing. You barely notice it's there.
Until you need it. And then it becomes the difference between life and death.
The leash works because of one simple principle: your surfboard floats. No matter how deep you get pushed down, no matter how disoriented you become, your board is always on the surface. Always. Waiting for you.
So when you're in trouble, you don't have to figure out which way is up. You don't have to be strong enough to fight the current. You just reach down, grab the leash, and let it guide you back to air.
Faith works the same way.
Tethered to the One Who Doesn't Drown
If you've said yes to Jesus—if you've invited Him into your life and placed your trust in Him—then you're already wearing the leash. You're already connected to the One who rose from the dead.
The problem isn't that you're alone in the murky waters. The problem is that you forget you're tethered.
So when the next wave hits—and it will—remember:
● Stop thrashing. Get still.
● Reach down. Pray. Connect.
● Grab the leash. Trust who's on the other end.
● Climb up. Let Him pull you to the surface.
You're not drowning alone. You never were.
You're tethered to the risen Christ. And He doesn't sink.
Want to Get Tethered?
If you want to explore what it means to be tethered to Jesus—to have that kind of connection when life's waves hit—we'd love to help.