A Testimony of Humility: A Lesson Learned in the Classroom of the Ocean

Learning humility in the hands of a gentle God

I grew up thinking pretty highly of myself. I didn’t mean to—but I was good at most things I touched. People liked me. I had a blessed childhood, surrounded by love, stability, and a solid Christian upbringing. By the time I reached high school, I had become quietly cocky without even realizing it.

Looking back, I see so much grace in the way the Lord humbled me. Honestly, I can think of a hundred harsher roads God could have used, but instead He chose something gentle… something beautiful.

He chose the ocean.

Psalm 93:4 – “Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is mighty.”

The Ocean as a Classroom

There are countless spiritual lessons tucked inside the natural world, if we’re paying attention. And for me, God used the vastness of the sea to teach me how small I truly was—and how good that “smallness” could be.

I picked up surfing right before entering high school. Until then, every hobby or skill in my life had an element of control.

Sports.

Singing.

Writing.

Fishing.

I could manipulate situations, use talent, steer outcomes, or at least influence what happened.

But not surfing.

Surfing introduced a truth I could not escape:

I had zero control over the ocean. 

Zero control over the wave. 

Zero control over what was coming next.

All I could do was respond— 

Dance with what was already in motion. 

Ride what I could never command. 

Cooperate with a force far bigger than me.

And strangely, that lack of control felt like freedom.

Meeting God in the Water

Out there on the water, I felt close to God. The ocean became a cathedral—wide, wild, and full of wonder. It was as if I could sense one of His attributes in its vastness. It was a place of surrender for me.

That’s where God taught me humility.

Not through embarrassment. 

Not through failure. 

But through awe.

I began to realize that being under something greater than myself was not restricting—it was liberating.

Deep down, I already knew I wasn’t the greatest thing on the planet. I knew my flaws, my inadequacies. The pressure came from pretending otherwise.

But out on the waves? 

The pressure lifted.

I would just be waiting to fail if I continued to depend on my own perceived greatness for my success. 

I was under something bigger, wiser, stronger—and that something was good. Safe. Constant. Sovereign.

Learning to Bow the Knee — Joyfully

The ocean became a picture of obedience:

• Fighting the wave got you nowhere.

• Cooperating with the wave carried you farther than effort alone ever could.

• You could still express yourself—style, personality, flair—as long as you stayed within the direction of the wave.

It was a dance. 

But the wave always led. 

I was always the subordinate partner.

And in that partnership, I learned what it meant to bow the knee—not begrudgingly, but joyfully.

A Gentle Lesson in Humility

I thank God often for the way He taught me humility.

It was gentle when it could have been severe.

It was beautiful when it could have been painful.

It was a revelation by love, not correction through discipline. 

But I also learned something important:

Sometimes the difficulty of the lesson depends on the teachability of the heart.

I could have forced His hand to teach humility the hard way. Instead, God used the ocean—a place of worship for me—to reveal who He is and who I am.

If there’s something God is trying to teach you, my encouragement is simple:

Take the lesson early. 

Keep a soft, teachable heart. 

Let God lead.

His lessons are always given in love. 

How gentle they are… may depend on how willing we are to listen.

When we stand in the midst of His creation, may we stand in awe of the Creator and be reminded in our hearts that He is God and we are not. 

Thanks be to God.

Love in Christ, 

Jason Davidson