The Ocean in Which We Live

Written by Peggy​ Lundy and Illustrated by Deana​ Harvey
Heartland Church - Fort Wayne, IN

"For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 KJV).

Have you ever felt like a fish out of water? Have you ever been thrown out of the familiar into the unknown and unexpected all the while trying to survive in an alien and hostile environment? Maybe it happened when your job was suddenly terminated or school became a nightmare of isolation and competition or the promise of a loving relationship turned into bitter betrayal. These events can leave us feeling disoriented, overwhelmed, and gasping for breath. You may be wondering, “What just happened? What have I gotten myself into? Should I have just stayed in bed today?” And you realize you really do feel like a fish out of water.

Big changes always bring feelings of apprehension and self-doubt. We are out of our element and struggling to survive. We must learn and grow as we experience new and difficult things in unfamiliar situations—or we stagnate and die. That’s just the way life is for humans on planet Earth.

However, as the redeemed, blood-bought children of the Most High God, we have another reality available to us. We can choose to be a fish out of water, dying of suffocation, flopping around going nowhere, or we can immerse ourselves in our Creator. He becomes the ocean in which we live. Then, everything we encounter in life comes to us through Him. Every crosscurrent, every shipwreck, every hungry shark, and every enticingly shiny hook can be successfully navigated because we are in Him, and He is in us.

Traditionally, this choice has been known as living either the carnal Christian life or the sanctified life. We choose between the appetites and addictions of the flesh and the world, or we live with our minds set according to the Holy Spirit. The former leads to frustration and death; whereas the latter leads to life and peace. I encourage you to choose life. Choose to live in the ocean of Him.

Father, we confess we have chosen life in the world over life in You. Today and every day give us the grace to choose a life of peace and joy found only in the Holy Spirit.


​For further study: Romans 8:5-17.