Growing up, my father would take us on many vacations to the oceans of the South African east coast. And because of these precious childhood memories, the ocean occupies a special chamber in my heart.
Being in it, whether in the calm, still deep or in the gushing waves, I feel an undeniable awareness of my emotional and spiritual self. Because I simultaneously feel so at home and so out of my comfort zone. I experience peace and fear, calmness and excitement, energy and relaxation, all at the same time.
And spending our time between the beautiful islands of the Philippines, snorkeling shipwrecks, swimming with turtles and playing in the waves, I realized that my experience in the ocean is much like my experience with my heavenly Father.
Scientists predict that we know more about our earth’s surrounding space than we know about the ocean and that we have only roughly charted 5% of the deep waters. There is so much more to learn and species of life to discover.
Just like it with God and even more so. God is huge and completely incomprehensible. There is something new and deeper to discover about God every day and there always will be. There is no limit to Him, and neither is there a limit to His grace, mercy and love for His children. The more you find, the more you find that there is more to find.
The ocean is also the biggest life sustaining biosphere on earth with over a million different fish and mammal species inhabiting it. The waters are filled with nutrients and they sustain vast amounts of ecosystems. It brings refreshment and even life to it’s visitors.
God also is the great sustainer of all life- our spiritual lives included. His presence is filled with necessary nutrients for our spirits to be able to access more life. He brings refreshment when we are dried up and sustenance when we are weak.
The ocean’s water contains a massive amount of dissolved salt. This salt, mixed with the water has incredible healing capabilities. Scars and scabs heal almost double as fast when you regularly expose them to the ocean’s water. Sometimes at first the wound will burn because of the exposure and discomfort, but later the water creates soothing sensation.
This is just like the way God brings healing in our hearts, minds and souls. After being hurt, we take our pain to Him, and then He deals with it. Sometimes, at first it hurts, but later we realize that He brings healing to us twice as fast as us trying to do it ourselves.
The ocean is also a powerful force, especially when it comes to erosion. It makes round stones out of boulders and pebbles out of rough rocks. It can erode a mountain all the way down to the sand on the beach.
That’s also how God makes us diamonds out of the rough. He keeps on washing His grace over us, time after time, leading us to repentance and humility and smoothening our edges. In the end, there is less of the rock left than in the beginning. Because all selfishness, pride, guilt and unforgiveness is washed away. And we are better off without it.
Another interesting characteristic of the ocean are the tides; the constant pushing forward and pulling backward motion of the great mass of water.
Also, like the tides, God pushes and pulls us. God pushes us; He pushes us to take on new challenges, to forgive those who hurt us, to take risks. He even pushes us to the ends of the earth to spread His good news.
And sometimes God pulls us. He pulls us back to His way when we’ve drifted off, back to repentance when we’ve grown ignorant, back to humility when we’ve grown prideful. God pulls us back to His comfort, rest and shelter when we are conflicted.
I love how God has shaped this earth with His characteristics woven into the very fabric of creation. I sometimes feel like God did this to show us in physical ways and metaphors all around us who He is and what He does for us. Creation is a reminder for us to worship the Creator- one of it’s purposes is to mirror His glory and beauty. Therefore, as the pinnacle thereof, it is our destiny and responsibility to worship God.
So next time your walking in the forest, hiking up a mountain or swimming in the sea- remember that your moving in the ridges of the fingerprint of the Almighty.
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