Attractive stingrays!
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (John
14:1 NIV)
"Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry
about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked
up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with
whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matt 6:33-34 The Message)
Stingrays are renowned for their flat diamond-shape bodies and their long,
finless, whip-like tails that contain poison-filled barbed spines. Sharks are
renowned (thanks to Jaws!) for their deadly teeth. With these facts in mind, how
would you feel if you were to find yourself surrounded by at least thirty 3-5
feet stingrays, and at least twenty 8-12 feet sharks, representing at least
three different species?
"Get me out of here!"
It is in such situations that you quickly realize that you are completely out of
control, no matter what you do, and if you try to take charge of the situation,
you will likely only put yourself even more at risk of injury!
There are some however who would choose to be around such creatures. Most of
these would likely be considered to be entrapped in their own senility. Some,
however, would fall in the class of overeager tourist, and still others would
find themselves in this situation because they have been hired by such tourists.
Sad to say, but I belong in the group of overeager tourists. You may not want to
travel with me!
We had taken a powerboat excursion to one of the isolated islands in Exuma,
Bahamas, and our guide gave us the opportunity to feed these intriguing sea
creatures. The stingrays were first. We were given fresh cuts of fish to be held
between two fingers, and we were asked to line up and kneel down in the shallow
water (quite a humbling experience with over-the-hill kneecaps!).
"Do not turn your back on the stingrays and especially do not run away from
them!" Instructed our guide. "The consequences would not be in your best
interest! Also do not try to pet them!"
Quite reassuring don't you think?
"Avoid having your fingers sucked up into their mouth!"
Some of my fellow "overeager" tourists turned back at this. They weren't sure
they could resist running away when these 5 feet creatures came near. My boys
and I, however, were either brave, or too foolish to realize what kind of a
situation we were putting ourselves in, for we had our knees firmly planted on
the ocean floor, literally begging the stingrays to come for their goodies.
And come they did! At first they caressed our limbs with their soft, rubbery
bodies, and then they came for the fish between our fingers. Boy can they suck!
I had a huge one in front of me, and being completely unused to this technique,
some of my fingers ended up being sucked into its mouth. Oh no!
My initial impressions were that the mouth was soft and rubbery. I never got
beyond my initial impressions, however, as I didn't want to leave them there for
future generations. I quickly pulled my hand back to safety... and then counted
my fingers just to make sure they were all still there!
For some reason, some of the girls in our group were screaming and others were
slowly retreating to the beach, and it wasn't long before only the hardiest
among us were still in the water.
All too soon the stingray experience was over and the shark story began. Our
guide wouldn't let anyone feed these except himself. He claimed it was because
he didn't want any of his guests to lose body parts, and none of us spent any
time arguing.
He was quite creative in his approach to "sharking". He would attach a fish to a
rope and throw it far out into the shark infested harbor. When one took the
bait, he would then try to pull it ashore and lift it high up in the sky. When
one of the sharks tried to escape, he simply grabbed it by the tail and gave it
a kiss. To each his own!
Later on, while leading the more adventuresome of the group on a snorkelling
expedition, this same guide went after a shark on the reef, grabbed its tail,
and shook it back and forth. He sure made life thrilling to all of us!
In the end, no one got hurt because everyone obeyed the simple rules.
Interestingly enough, most of us thought this was the best part of our trip! Who
in their sane mind would ever put themselves in such a perilous situation?
It taught me an important lesson. Whenever I try to be in control of my life
(and believe me it has become one of my busiest hobbies!), I damage myself more
than anything else. Whenever I relinquish control to my wise Father, however, I
not only find myself at peace, but I also end up being of a blessing to others.
Imagine that!
Had I not trusted my guide in Exuma, had I decided to follow my own agenda, I
probably would have ended up as shark bait. The same is true with our daily
living. I need to continually remind myself every day to consciously hand over
my position of control to God. Then I have to make the conscious effort to
resist the urge to take back the helm at convenient moments. Otherwise I will
feel the sting of my prideful actions.
"He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30 NKJV)
Poisonous stingrays? Great white man-eating sharks? Child's play as long as you
trust in the Lord!
Want to have some fun with sharks?
Rob Chaffart
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