At the southernmost point of the African continent is a place called Cape Agulhas. It lies south and east of The Cape of Good Hope and is less well-known. But it’s not unknown to sailors. The sea off Cape Agulhas is notorious for winter storms and mammoth rogue waves, which can range up to 100 feet high, having sunken even large ships. Why?

Why is this area of the worlds seawater marked by such turmoil? There are a number of reasons. Three oceans meet here: The Atlantic, the Indian, and the South Polar Ocean. The naturally strong winds, which blow unencumbered from west to east, and the cold Antarctic Current flowing in the same direction, meet the warmer Agulhas Current in the region of the cape. These conflicting currents of water of different densities, and other factors can create extremely hazardous wave conditions.

Conflicting currents. They can cause turmoil. There are a lot of places besides Cape Agulhas where conflicting currents cause turmoil. What about when sending kids to school? I remember when we put Tim on the school bus to go to kindergarten. My friend, John, said, “Steve – be ready to see your wife cry.” I thought, “Why would you cry at that?” The answer: Conflicting currents. In one sense, a mother is glad to see her child growing and heading to school. In another sense, she is grieving the loss. As an aside, I would say it was the same with Esther. And in both cases, both Laurel and I cried.

The audio file here helps us learn to deal with conflicting currents in our lives.

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