Stand-up paddleboarding is a popular water sport. It’s basically the fusion of kayaking and surfing and can be done by pretty much anyone. The board looks like a surfing longboard but thicker, with a foam or neoprene footing area on top. To do it, you start by sitting cross-legged, then progress to kneeling and finally to standing fully upright, using a single oar to propel yourself forward and help you turn.

I learned how to do it last summer on a quiet sound in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The water was still, warm, and, most important, shallow. Sitting and kneeling on the board are the easiest ways to start, and I was very comfortable that way. When I braved the standing-up portion, however, I wobbled, and wobbled some more, until I tumbled into the (shallow) sea. This happened several times throughout my first session.

What I kept forgetting was the instructor’s very simple and effective direction: “When you wobble,” he said, “don’t look down. Instead, keep your eyes on the horizon, and your body will establish equilibrium.” But of course every time I wobbled, I’d immediately look down at my feet to see what was happening to the board and water beneath me and fall right in. Finally I wised up. At the next wobble I looked up and focused on the line where the ocean meets the sky, and suddenly I was steady.

Looking down at the struggle and focusing on the source of the turbulence won’t keep you upright. You have to look up and focus on the horizon, where the earth meets the sky and where the sky leads to a heaven lovingly prepared by the King. Because who wants to be pitched into the abyss when a steady ride to eternity with our Savior awaits?