When the Waves Grow Stronger: A Lesson in Resilience

There was a time when I carried a strong sense of unit pride. I had served in the navy, and I wore that identity with confidence — white shirt, gel in my hair, and a sun-tanned face that seemed to complete the image.

One day, I decided to surprise my wife and take her out for a boat ride at sea. More than that, I wanted to impress her with my old maritime skills. “My dear wife,” I said, “would you like me to take you sailing? I’ll tell you stories from the past — how I served on naval ships as a combat soldier, how we went on secret missions in the heart of the sea, and how I truly excelled there.” I succeeded in impressing her.

Thank God, we went to the sea, rented a boat, and began to sail. It was delightful. I filled the air with stories from my army days — how I used to sail on ships and fight at sea. While my wife listened with admiration, the weather suddenly began to change. A strong wind started blowing, and the waves quickly rose. Apparently, I had forgotten to check the weather forecast.

“Don’t worry,” I said confidently to my wife, “I’m in control. I’ll get us safely to shore. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” But the waves kept getting higher, and so did my dizziness. “Are you feeling alright?” my wife asked, seeing my miserable state. Then it happened: I began vomiting uncontrollably. I felt completely useless and could no longer function.

My wife, however, did not lose her composure. She laid me down to the side, took hold of the oars, and began rowing toward the shore. Thank God, she managed to get us safely back to the dock. She helped pull me out, practically carried me to the car, and drove us home.

I woke up later in bed, embarrassed. What could I possibly say to her now? I had behaved like a complete beginner, sick and helpless. I walked into the living room, determined at least to tell her the truth.

“My dear wife,” I said, “you know, once I had unit pride. Even today I still have unit pride. That unit is you. You are the one and only.”

She smiled and answered with a line I never forgot: “That’s alright, my dear husband. Just remember one important rule in life: when the waves grow stronger, the strong ones are revealed.”

Strength Is Revealed in the Storm

That sentence carries a profound truth. As long as the sea is calm, everyone appears capable. When life is smooth, it is easy to feel strong, confident, and in control. But true strength is not measured in calm waters — it is revealed when the storm begins. Only when the waves rise do we discover what we are really made of.

This idea brings to mind another image entirely: the salmon.

I once watched a nature film showing salmon swimming in a wild, rushing river. The current was fierce, the water foamed and thundered, and there they were — salmon leaping against the current again and again. Through those leaps, they advanced against the force pushing them backward. Even more astonishing, as they leaped into the air, enormous grizzly bears stood waiting, claws outstretched, trying to swat them back toward the shore.

It was an incredible sight. The scene continued for hours, and the salmon did not give up.

At the time, I remember thinking they were crazy. Why fight the current? Why not simply turn around and float with the stream? It would be so much easier.

Today I understand that the salmon are not irrational at all. In fact, they teach one of the deepest lessons in life. A fish that simply drifts with the current is, in many ways, already dead. To truly live, one must sometimes move against the stream.

This is a powerful metaphor for spiritual and personal growth. To grow, to change, and to become who we were meant to be, we often need to move against the current of the world around us — against habit, against comfort, and against what everyone else assumes is normal. Real growth begins the moment we stop drifting and begin swimming upward.

Keep Leaping Upward

There is another lesson hidden in this image. The higher the salmon leap above the water, the more visible they become. And that is exactly where the danger waits. The bears are positioned above. The moment the fish lifts its head out of the water, something tries to knock it back down.

The same is often true in life.

The moment a person begins to rise — to improve, to grow spiritually, or to change old patterns, resistance appears. Challenges intensify, doubts grow louder, and setbacks come. It can feel as though the moment you begin moving upward, life pushes back harder.

That does not mean you are on the wrong path. Often, it means precisely the opposite. It means you are rising.

The lesson is simple and powerful: do not give in. Keep jumping. Keep moving upward. Keep aiming higher. Storms, setbacks, and resistance do not define failure — they reveal strength.

As my wife wisely said, “When the waves grow stronger, the strong ones are revealed.”

Sometimes the strongest people are not the ones who never fall. They are the ones who keep leaping upward, again and again, against the current.