"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Eph 5:21, NIV2)
"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his
wife, and the two will become one flesh." (Matt 19:5, NIV2)
When we submit ourselves to someone, we truly do our best to honor and respect
them. Unfortunately, in our world today, most have a distorted view of
submission: "My way or the highway! You better submit to me! I am in charge, and
I will do what I want! You have no authority over me!" With such reasoning, is
it any wonder so many marriages fall apart? The problem is, marriage has been
given to us in order for us to learn what it means to become 'one', just as God
is One. Without this all-essential unity, marriage becomes dysfunctional.
The same is true in our churches, our jobs or anything else we do. If everybody
sets out to solely do their own will, there will never be any harmony. The job
will not get done and chaos will result; but worse yet, love will become
non-existent...
We can learn so much from dolphins. While in Inverness, Scotland last year, I
had the privilege of seeing them in action. I had no idea that there were about
200 bottlenose dolphins in this vicinity--the only dolphins, in fact, that live
in the North Sea. They are also the biggest bottlenose dolphins in the world,
some reaching 4 meters in length!
As I watched, I saw them capture salmon, but instead of keeping them for by
themselves, they would often throw the salmon in the air to be caught by another
dolphin. They certainly were not insisting on having their own way. They were
thinking of others, and by doing so, they had essentially become 'one'!
What I didn't know is that dolphins help injured dolphins by swimming underneath
them and nudging them upward. They also help other species. In 1983, at Tokerau
Beach, New Zealand, a pod of pilot whales were stranded during an ebb tide. A
pod of dolphins swimming nearby noticed that these whales were in distress. They
headed for the shallows, putting their own lives at risk, and herded the pilot
whales out to sea, saving about 80 whales!
Not only do they save other species, but dolphins are also renowned for saving
human lives. In 2004, a man named Rob had taken his daughter and two friends for a swim in
the Pacific Ocean. All of a sudden they were surrounded by dolphins. Rob tried
to swim away from them but was immediately rushed by two larger dolphins and
brought him back into the protective circle. That's when Rob saw the danger: A white
shark, measuring at least 3 metres, was heading straight to them.
The dolphins continued herding the 4 humans, pushing them close to one another
by swimming in tight circles around them. Thanks to these dolphins, all four of
them were saved. There are numerous other stories like this one of dolphins
saving human lives. They certain know what it means to submit to one another!
May we learn from these dolphins and make an effort to save our marriages from
the dangers of selfishness. After all, love can only exist when we care for
others far more than we care for ourselves!
Would you like to go for a swim?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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