I was driving along Ocean Drive this morning taking my daughter to school. The once blue sky turned to grey, the wind picked up and the usually calm bay had white cap waves crashing about. I heard a little voice from the backseat say “Daddy the ocean is pretty today.” I responded with”Pretty in a different way than normal.” With a slightly puzzled look on her face she asked “Daddy, that is the same ocean, right?”
Being the “teachable moment” type dad, I took the opportunity to explain to her that the ocean was the same ocean we see every time we head to school. The only that had changed was its action.
“The ocean is much like you” I explained. “Most of the time you are calm and your spirit is pleasant for those around you. Then there are times that your mood changes and your ocean makes big waves that can hurt those around you. In those times you can’t even control the strength of your waves and people get tossed around and your spirit isn’t being nice to them. ”
I shared with her the story in which Jesus calms the waves. I told her that he can also calm the waves of your heart as well.
Thinking that this lesson had passed over my 3 year olds head, she says, “Well, I want to be calm ocean and be nice to people. ”
I love these moments with my daughter because as I teach her life lessons I am really reminding myself. Through the ups and downs of my days I can find myself becoming turbulent and crashing down on those around me. I sometimes forget that I have the ability to call on the one who can calm all storms even those in my heart.
How are your waves today? Are you a calm ocean that has a beautiful spirit or do you have turbelent waves crashing on those around you?
Till next time,
Joseph Cortez
Joseph Cortez 