The ocean is a beautiful metaphor.

The first few days we were on vacation, it was gray and stormy out, and then after that it cleared up. But with all our late night walks, I noticed something: the waves were just as strong as they were the first day we got there — a constant no matter the color of the water or the sky.

If you watch the waves rolling in, there’s this beautiful uniformity to them — they keep coming in one by one, following each other and crashing on the shore. But they’re all so unique and different; every wave’s going in a slightly different direction, they all have different heights and strengths, and some of them might fall higher on the shore while others almost seem to die out right before they hit the sand.

Yet with all their complexity, the waves don’t have to be told what to do or shown where to go. They just obey the tides and the laws of nature that God’s placed over them, and they focus on their own purpose without hesitation or complaint. They bend to nothing and no one other than to complete the job God gave them — not the job of other waves.

Not so with humanity.

Natural people-pleasers get a double dose, but we all spend so much time looking over our shoulders at other people, wondering if we’re on the right path, or accusing God (and often ourselves) of messing up the plan we had for our lives. When obstacles and suffering enter our lives, we envy the blessings other people have. And even when we’re enjoying blessings of our own, we want more and bigger and shinier and better.

How American of us. And how misguided.

We cause ourselves so much misery and dissatisfaction when we don’t align our priorities with God’s. That doesn’t mean we should walk around doing nothing but praying and reciting verses — God’s placed us on this earth for a reason, and we were made to eat, work, rest, and enjoy the beautiful things in life. But focusing too much on what’s going on around us (taking our eyes off God) keeps us from the peace and joy that comes from believing in His providence and sovereignty.

“Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; When I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; When I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no father, and here your proud waves must stop!’” — Job 38:8-11

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass… Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, becase of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” — Psalm 37:3-5, 7

He didn’t create us to be like those bobble-head figurines, always looking around at things and never focusing on what’s in front of us. We’re meant to keep our focus on Him; to derive our value, our purpose, and our goals from who He is and what He’s told us.

“Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.” — Proverbs 2:5-8

Trust that the God who commands the waves knows what your life’s purpose is, and that He’s controlling every aspect of your life in order to accomplish it. Save yourself the pain and dissatisfaction that comes from being a bobble-head, and learn to be more like the ocean < 3