Kelly Slater on Surfing, Insecurity, Family, Sobriety & Relationships

Arguably, the winningest athlete of all time is Kelly Slater.  Volcom Stone posted a video entitled, “Kelly Slater on Surfing, Insecurity, Family, Sobriety & Relationships,” in which Slater opens with this: 

”People might not understand that about me, you know, there was a lot of sort of insecurity and hurt and things I was covering up with success…”  

He goes on to say, 

“My insecurities come from family stuff and it probably comes from some sort of voice you're trying to fill in your heart.”  

I always press into any conversation that alludes to “the Heart.”  Is not the heart of every issue an issue of the heart!?  This is a time to keep the conversation going.  Slater then humbly confesses past hurt and the processing of forgiveness and bitterness,

“In some senses I had a really good relationship with my dad.  In other senses I had a lot of strong judgments about the way he lived his life.  He drank a lot.  I found that really hurtful for me, personally and for our family.”

As I watched this video, I caught little to no tones of bitterness.  Yes.  One of my childhood heroes is not only processing past hurt, but is confessing to the world what most would keep “tight” within.  Kelly rejects shame and guilt and invites others to join in the healing of confession.  The Interview leaves its hearers with another tone - a heavy one,

“I think ultimately if your mind is not switched on and excited about things, you grow old real fast.  I think that when you age and your body starts to go and you stop being excited about some goal to use that ability that you have.  I think life's over at that point.”

This is the engagement piece.  The truth is life is NOT "over" at this point, but rather the beginning.  If life ends when my emotions can no longer muster excitement I have made an idol out of excitement and emotion.  The truth is no matter how I feel, how broken my body is, or how much my circumstances are not going my way, Jesus is Lord and the same Sprit that raised him from the dead has made his home in me.  

All this to say, I’m thrilled for what is going on in the surf culture; at least from the handful of athletes that inspired my generation.  This is Missio Dei in full effect and I reject the lie that I must criticize and embrace the truth that God is on a mission and I ought to embrace my part and be a conduit of his grace and truth.  The missionary’s task is to understand and leverage the culture in which he or she lives - not as an unloving critic, but as a gracious listener.

So proud of Kelly putting this video out for the world.  Now the rest of us who wrestle with deep things like this can process within others, find healing, and share the love that happens in community.  We were never meant to keep things inside, but rather bear one another's burdens and to point each other to the way, the truth, and the life.