Image Copyright Clarissa Pardue

Ever think about how a creature that lives its entire life in water can drown…or suffocate?

Like us, whales and dolphins must breathe air, which of course requires rising to the surface. Unlike us, they have a voluntary respiratory system. Some part of their brain must always be on the alert to prepare for and trigger each breath. It’s fascinating, really. I did a “quick” web search that turned into a deep dive into what it means to be a marine mammal and how, even when they’re sleeping, part of the brain is always alert to what’s going on around them. These amazing creatures are constantly aware of any potential dangers as well as the state of their own bodies.

Studies have shown that when a bottlenose dolphin sleeps, half of its brain sleeps while the eye on that side is “awake.” You’ve heard the expression “sleeping with one eye open”? This is it, literally. I tell you, the more you think about it, the more you study, the more fascinating it gets; and as usual my reading opened my spiritual eyes. I came here to post, because I’ve realized something: Marine mammals live their whole lives in water but, in a sense, they are not of the water.

Did that sentence trigger a memory? How many times have I heard it said that we are “in this world, but not of it”? Too many to count, for sure. John 17:14-16 makes it clear that this is not our home; we do not belong to this world. With that in mind, the more I think about whales and dolphins the more I see those of us who believe reflected in the way God designed them. They paint a beautiful picture of what it means to not just live but thrive in a place you’re not ultimately made for.

We were created to spend eternity with Him; this life is merely a training ground, our opportunity to get a taste of, and prepare for, what’s to come.

We are so much like these animals. Spiritual speaking, we too must be conscious about our very breath. It takes intentional effort to get into God’s presence, to receive the breath of the Holy Spirit. We must live ever aware of our spiritual condition, where we are in our walk with God. If we dive too deeply into the world, drawing further away from Him, we can be like a dolphin that gets disoriented and fails to surface. That way leads to death for the dolphin and spiritual death for us.

While we live here, hopefully thriving and reproducing – drawing others to Christ, we must remember that we were created for a different life, one where we dwell constantly in His presence. In the here and now, sensitivity to what is going on around us, the company we keep, the examples we set, and where we are in our relationship with God… These are necessities we cannot ignore.

May we live like these glorious creatures – with our spiritual eyes wide open and regularly rising into His presence where we can inhale the breath of Heaven.

Celebrating Jesus!
Tammy C