Charles Towne
By Charles Towne
If you remember in my in previous rant, I introduced you to one of my favorite dive spots, the area in the vicinity of the Seven Mile bridge in the Florida Keys. Here can be found many interesting corals and crustaceans, as well as a very broad and diverse assortment of wonderful and somewhat toothy denizens that habituate the area. And here is the thing that never fails to amaze and draw me back to this area: I am always pleasantly surprised by what I find inhabiting these waters. There is always the potential for something unique to suddenly and mysteriously come swimming out of the distance.
Recently a group of scientists have been studying hammerhead sharks, and one large female in particular. Now, hammerheads are one of a group of sharks known as requiem sharks and, as the name indicates, includes in the group some other sharks such as makos, black tip sharks, bull sharks, tiger sharks, and that shark of all sharks, that well-known big boy of sharks that we all love to hate: the great white.
(Perhaps the root of our animosity is more due to what we don’t know about this denizen of the deep than what we do know. And by the way, in spite of his horrific reputation, more people are attacked by bull sharks than by great whites! However, true to the great white's reputation, he has, when the opportunity presented itself, killed and eaten those very tender and most palatable, thin -skinned creatures known as man. And they claim we taste just like chicken!)
Back to our hammerhead. It is estimated that this big girl (something like 22 feet long) is approximately fifty years old. That's a long time to be around in the ocean. Wouldn't it be interesting to know her story? What tales could she tell of her adventures? Where did she live when she was a pup in order to prevent being eaten by other larger, very hungry sharks? Just how large is her territory? Imagine the stories she could tell.
In order to stimulate your thought processes just a tad, let's imagine a hammerhead shark in excess of 30 feet long, because that is how long some of them have been known to grow. Now imagine that you are in a small plane flying between the United States and Cuba. It is a beautiful day and you are some forty miles from land, and just then, when everything is so good, your engine starts to sputter. Oops. You glance at the fuel gauge even though you just filled the tank, so that can’t be the problem. Somewhat anxiously you look out the window and scan the waters below, and just then your anxiety level reaches an all-time high because... you know what those dark figures down there are, swimming so sedately, patiently awaiting your arrival... and your heart starts to sputter like the engine on your plane.
I believe there is a certain time of the year that hammerhead sharks have what they call 'hammerheads anonymous' when these waters seem to be filled and teeming with hammerheads of all sizes - literally thousands of them. Imagine this is just such a day! I'm thinking you might just call out, Dear God, please help me! And let's imagine that just at that moment, with that ever-so-brief prayer resonating in your mind, your engine levels out and begins purring, running perfectly once again!
Whew, right! I imagine we just might say,Thank you, Papa God, thank you!
Now, I realize this was just a trip in our imagination; but the truth is, there have been times in each of our lives when we've been in a desperate situation and somehow gotten out of it, and we can't help but wonder, did that really happen?! And if it did, how?! Maybe it was a near miss in traffic, or you slipped on the stairs but somehow landed upright, or maybe the test came back negative when you thought for sure it would be bad news. And maybe you had said a quick prayer in that scary moment, or maybe you hadn't... either way, those experiences can sometimes make us rethink questions about God's existence, can't they?
In desperate times that turn out better than I expect, it makes me realize that God is real and miracles really can happen.
I don't know what 'shark infested' kind of situation you're going through right now, but just maybe, keep your eyes and hearts open for a God of love that wants to rescue us even when we don't think it's possible. It may not always look like the rescue we expect, or the good news we may want... but I believe there are more miracles to see when we keep our eyes looking.
Thank you, Father, for always being there for me. Thank you for saving me from myself and bringing me to the realization that you are a God of great and merciful love! In Jesus' wonderful name , Amen
