We should learn to be just like water. Here is why:
Imagine the sun beating down on a picturesque Caribbean beach during the heat of a summer day. If your schedule doesn’t allow for such foolishness, you can just look at this picture:
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With indiscriminate generosity, the sun pours out its heat onto (a) the beach, (b) the ocean, and (c) the atmosphere. The temperature of the sandy beach rises steadily with every minute of exposure to the sunshine. The air’s temperature increases even more drastically as the solar radiation assails it.
But what about the water? How does the serene, blue ocean react?
Water is known for its exceptionally high specific heat capacity, which gives it the ability to absorb and release heat with comparatively slight changes in temperature. In response to the sun’s heat, the temperature of the water warms up by only a few degrees –far less than that of the land or the air.
Now, imagine that the sun has set. The busy among you, can just take a look at this to save time:
"La Plage Après le Coucher du Soleil" (by j.s. jacques, copyright 2011) All Rights Reserved!
After the sun sets, the land surrenders its heat to the atmosphere rapidly, and the air temperature plummets even faster.
But the water cools down only by a few degrees.
Water has a higher specific heat than any other common substance which makes its temperature fluctuate much less than that of land or air. Oceans and other bodies of water are essential for sustaining life on earth because their heat capacity helps to reduce drastic fluctuations of temperature. Without water, air temperatures all over the planet would also rise and fall much more drastically making conditions for many animals and plants unsuitable.
Relevance
The Apostle Paul said that people should cultivate and embody the trait of temperance if they are striving to live godly lives.
A temperate person, rather than allowing himself to be brought to a boil by circumstances around him, stays pretty steady. He doesn’t let environmental factors in his life reduce him to depression, any more than the ocean allows the absence of sunshine to drain its heat during the night.
A temperate man isn’t oblivious to his circumstances, but neither is he a slave to them. He knows there’s a time to mourn, and a time to dance– even a time to cast away stones. But, just as the water can absorb large amounts of sunshine before it begins to really heat up, a temperate man or woman can withstand stressful circumstances before his or her state of mind is swayed by it. Such a person can also endure a long and sunless night without losing the joy accumulated during brighter times.
Many people seek to build homes and live near oceans, lakes, and rivers because the water moderates the local climate. Likewise, many will be drawn to the stability of a temperate person. They will see him or her as a peacemaker, and seek the person’s company.
When it comes to our response to the circumstances of our lives, we should be temperate, just like water.
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“Here lies one whose name was writ in water.” ~John Keats
Tags: Apostle Paul, beach, better from here, christianity, Notice everything- acknowledge the good, ocean, peacemakers, religion, sun, sunshine, temperance, temperature, water
July 28, 2011 at 2:40 pm |
Sage advice to follow your wisdom…
July 28, 2011 at 3:43 pm |
Man. This puts me to shame… For my pages worth of yammering, I only scratched the surface of what this gentleman says in 50 well…spaced….words.
July 28, 2011 at 3:37 pm |
Great post Jeremiah! And…I loved the sage advice from you too Dani. :)
July 28, 2011 at 3:39 pm |
I wrote about water just the other day! LOVED your take on it!!
July 29, 2011 at 11:16 am |
Impacting water post on your blog, Kimberly! (Do you ever go by “Kim”?) That’s really interesting that some of the more abstract and figurative properties of water have been on both of our minds lately, and even more interesting that we both cited scripture in our water-themed posts. I love your writing, and derive a lot of enjoyment from your posts. Thank you for the comment, by the way. I feel like it would probably be in the universe’s best interest if we become friends.
July 29, 2011 at 11:25 am |
Always Kimberly, except for a few select family members. :)
I agree, it probably would!
July 28, 2011 at 8:19 pm |
Quite the enlightening post, Jeremiah. Thank you for sharing that bit of contemplative wisdom. Perhaps remembering this will keep me on a more temperate plane.
July 29, 2011 at 11:04 am |
Thank you, Aubes! I think all of us could be better at absorbing heat without letting our temperature rise. By the way, I’m glad you like that Katie Melua song. That Georgian girl (Soviet not Southern) is one of my favorite female singers of all time. “Nine Million Bicycles” has a particularly special place in my heart. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed if you check it out.
July 28, 2011 at 8:39 pm |
Just a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design . “Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.” by Jonathan Larson.
July 29, 2011 at 2:33 am |
I’ve been on that island in the photo. It’s Sandy Cay in the BVI down in the Caribbean!
July 29, 2011 at 11:00 am |
You are right, kind sir! Good eye. I just did a search for free and uncopyrighted beach pics and this came up. When did you travel there?
July 29, 2011 at 5:15 pm |
This past year I chartered a yacht and spent 10 days with friends and family touring the islands of the Caribbean paradise of the BVI, one island of which you showcased. While snorkelling we saw all kinds of awesome stuff: dolphins, sharks, sting rays, turtles etc and the scenery was amazing. It was pretty awesome.
August 1, 2011 at 8:34 am |
Wow. That sounds like a very memorable experience. To see all that wildlife sounds especially exciting.
August 1, 2011 at 10:54 am |
Great post for a short-tempered person like me :)
August 1, 2011 at 11:03 am |
Thank you for the comment, April. It’s something I think that we are all struggling with to varying degrees. I just took at look at your site, and was impressed with a lot of your material. I’ll check it out more thoroughly very soon.
August 28, 2011 at 4:03 am |
Right on!
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