The ocean can be a scary place, and yet it is one of the most visited places in the world. People come from all over to lay on the beach, get a tan, relax and enjoy the calm and peaceful waves. But with one single boat that passes by, those calm and peaceful waves can be shifted into towering monsters, taking out anything in their way. All my life, I’ve never been a big fan of the ocean. I love going to the beach but swimming where I couldn’t see the bottom kinda freaked me out. Maybe its all those shark movies and TV shows where you see the guy’s feet from underwater while the shark stealthily swims below waiting to attack. I think its just the unknown that makes me stay closer to shore.

I feel like this can be a good picture of how we are sometimes with God. We love living for God if that means playing in the shallow end or being lazy on the beach. Just enough of God to get our feet wet. But when it comes to the deep end of the ocean, we don’t know what is out there and we are too scared to find out. So we live careful lives without risk.

I heard an interesting statistic recently. 1 out of every 1 person dies. The odds of you dying are pretty good. For some reason we are so scared of what death means for us, that we play it safe and don’t do the things we are created to do. We are called to the deep end. This is where true life is found. If you never leave the beach, and always wade in the shallow end, you will only experience a small taste of what God has for you. Living in the “deep end” of life could ultimately lead you to your death. It did for Jesus too. And he was only 33.

Sometimes I fear that some of our churches have also built their foundation on the beach, too weak to ever withstand the crashing waves of the ocean. Pastors, rise up and lead your church into the ocean head on. Church, love ALL people. Serve ALL people. Do more than you feel you are required to do. You are the light for the darkness around you. If you don’t shine, the people around you may never clearly see the Beauty that is in you. The ocean is filled with those that have never experienced the grace of God. The reason why you are living and breathing on this earth is to tell them. And so many of us at times, including myself, swim in puddles and never really live outside our “quiet times”.

I don’t know everybody by name that may read these blogs. I’m sure not everybody that reads this shares the same faith views that I have. And that is okay. The reason why I write is to share what is on my heart. Sometimes its pointless blabber that only I find interesting. Other times, its me sharing what music I’m listening to. But sometimes, like today, it is a call to action, for myself and you the reader to live life to the fullest. I believe in a God whose ways are vast and deep. His love never fails even when we fail Him. I mess up all the time and it amazes me that He never sees me differently. There have been times in my life when I have gone weeks without talking to Him, and yet when I finally speak, He listens. Every time.

Are you living out your life’s purpose? If the answer is no, then why not?

I pray that we will learn to live in the unknown, unshaken by the crashing waves that try to take us down. God is not small and boring. Just like the ocean, He’s complex and mighty. Beauty and power flow in and through Him like a hurricane, swallowing up everything is its path. There is no need to fear though. Because the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in those who trust in Him. He invites us to live life in the deep end, where risk and purpose collide.

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”

Ephesians 1:19-20