What Steers the Waves
I recently spent a wonderful afternoon watching the waves break on the beach. As I watched, I realized the waves were always coming directly towards me.
No matter how the shoreline turns, the waves still break parallel to the beach. The direction of the wind doesn’t matter either. The waves still manage to turn themselves to approach the shore head on.
What is it that steers those waves? Well, out in the deep water the waves, which are created by the wind, simply go where the wind blows them. But, when they get into shallow water close to the shore, the waves begin to feel the drag of the ocean floor.
If the shore is on the right of the wave, then the right end of the wave will be slowed down first. The left end will keep going for a time at its original speed. By the time the wave is close enough to the shore to break, the crest of the wave will be parallel to the shore.
But you may be wondering why waves always break as they get close to the shore? Again it has to do with the drag of the ocean floor. The friction between the water and the sand or rock impedes the bottom of the wave. So the top of the wave overtakes the bottom, tumbling over it in a white line of turbulent water.
So next time you are flying over an irregular coastline, look down at the curving shoreline and see for yourself what good navigators the waves really are.
When you look at the waves washing over the beach, you may not think of the forces that have worked on them to steer them parallel to the shoreline. When most of us look at our lives, we are unaware of the amazing mix of unseen forces and intentional decisions which work together to set the direction for our lives.
Some feel that they are entirely like the waves on the shore. They feel helpless in the face of the circumstances of life which push them one way, pull them another, and cause them to “break” routinely. “Helpless,” “broken,” “hopeless,” are some of the words they use in trying to convey their pain to others.
Others couldn’t feel less like waves breaking on the shore. Their personal metaphor is that of a ship riding the waves – bucking the wind – challenging the elements – taking on the world – and winning. They feel they are generally in control, and when not in control, they take advantage of the circumstances for their gain.
In reality, we are somewhere between these two extremes. Many external factors do shape our lives in different, significant ways. Sometimes more than we’d like to admit. But at the same time, we are not helpless pawns in a cosmic game of chess. Decisions we make and changes we implement also affect our lives in a variety of meaningful ways.
In life, the best course is neither one of total passivity nor of total control. As creatures designed to be in relationships, we function best in an environment of co-operation. This principally means we’ll need to co-operate with God’s purposes. That is God’s intention for us. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” [Psalm 32:8]
We are created beings, and therefore not autonomous. Yet God has built into us a sophisticated decision-making faculty which gives us the ability to chose to co-operate with God in His purposes or to rebel. Our rejection of His design will not keep God from realizing his overall plans. However, His good intentions for us will be thwarted if we choose to go our own way without regard for the relationship He offers to us.
David Humphreys and Ron Hughes
© August 2004
