Riding the Trough: Life Between the Waves

A couple of days ago I was having a tough day. Nothing tragic had happened, just one of those really low times we all face eventually. I was moping around the house while my kids played outside. My wife was at work, and I guess it just seemed like a good day to sulk. (Don't judge me, you've been there, too.)

One thing about having a three-year-old is that they don't stay in one place long. Playing outside usually entails coming in and out of the front door every three to five minutes. To alleviate some of this annoyance, I'd fashioned a sort of make-shift baby gate to block her outside so as to avoid the constant in and out of little footsteps and voices. The unfortunate consequence of this decision was that, instead of coming in and out she'd simply come to the doorway and shout "Daddy!"

I was trying to wash dishes when she shouted from the doorway for the umpteenth time, "Daddy!" I dried my hands, slapped the towel on the kitchen counter, and stomped impatiently to the doorway to see what my little princess wanted this time. As I approached the doorway, muttering something like "Palin Nichole! For the love of..." I saw an excited little face standing there with both hands clasped behind her back, obviously hiding something.

"What is it, baby?"

"Daddy! Daddy! I found this wock an' it wooks wike a heart an' I wuv you! It's yours, Daddy!"

I like to think of myself as a manly man not given to outward emotional displays. At this point, however, I scooped up my little angel in a tight hug and told her how much I loved her and how happy I am to be her dad.

We can all tell similar stories. We've all had times when the constant weight of the world wears us down. We've all been burdened by the nagging struggles of life that never seem to let up.

I've experienced the highs of life. I've ridden the crest of the wave of public acknowledgment and
admiration. I've stood before crowds and relished their adulation. I've taken for granted my comforts and plenty. However, now is not one of those seasons. Now is a time of struggle and scarcity.

I'm a provider and protector. I'm wired that way. Yet, right now that whole thing isn't working out very well. We're struggling on several fronts, and it's wearing me down. In the process of trying to build a business from the ground up, my wife is working to try and support us. I see need and lack and want, and I take it very personally.

Whatever your story, you've probably experienced similar times. Rather than riding the waves, I call this season riding the trough.

From the crest, one can see great distances. One can dream. One can hope. From the crest, one tends to see the strength of his position. He feels the rapid momentum of forward motion and it is exhilarating.



Life in the trough is a very different experience. The trough is the low point between the waves. It's a dangerous, dark, hidden valley between two towering pillars of strength and momentum. The waves that were once exhilarating are now terrifying. You sail along, trying only to keep from being crushed by the breaking walls of water that threaten to shatter your life. You tend to take a death-grip on the wheel, frantically steering to try to keep from capsizing.

That's my life right now, and believe me, it stinks. It stinks not to be able to see the shoreline. It stinks not to feel like I'm in total control of my direction. It stinks to feel tossed and turned by the currents and pounded by the whitewater.

It's so easy to become discouraged and disheartened. It's so easy to stare at the waves cresting above and fear the crushing defeat when they land on you. What isn't easy is remembering that I'm not alone on this boat. I'm not the ultimate arbiter of what occurs in my life. We tend to forget that when we're riding the crest, and sometimes it takes a good trough experience to force us to remember. Just like the disciples in Mark 4 who feared the storm while Jesus napped in the back of the boat, we get overwhelmed by the circumstances around us. We focus on the waves and the circumstances and the strife, and we take our minds off of their proper focal point.

Riding the trough is sometimes necessary. Not because God is neglecting us, or because He wishes us harm, or because He's punishing us, but because He wants us to learn something. We're sort of in a form of boot camp where we have to learn some self-discipline and control. This is the time where we must learn how to maneuver our ship in the right direction regardless of the swells around us.

Here's where I tell you something you might not want to hear. This is when you have to practice self-control and self-discipline. You have to control the subjects you allow to take up residence in your mind. You must exert control over your thought processes and resist the impulse to just allow your mind to drift. Drifting during a storm can spell defeat. Proactively controlling your direction is vital to your survival. It isn't fun, and it isn't easy, but it's crucial to your success. You have to take every thought captive and force your mind to be obedient to what you know is true, God's word.

God gave us the tools with which we can overcome these trough times. He tells us to focus on truth, nobility, righteousness, purity, loveliness, amirability, excellence and praiseworthiness. This is the recipe for a healthy, healing, recovering trough time. This is the toolkit for successfully training your mind to conquer rather than succumb to your storms. When we focus on these things, we turn our eyes away from the storm and onto God. In fact, every one of these words is a description of an attribute of God's character. So, in Philippians 4:8, we are being instructed to think about God. Funny, that's the same lesson we learn in the story of another storm, when Peter took his eyes off of Christ and began to sink... he forgot the miracle that was keeping him afloat and focused on the wind and the waves. As long as we discipline our minds to stay focused on the things of God, we will overcome.