Hawaiian turtles

I just returned from another Hawaii trip. One of my favorite activities is to see nature upclose and personal. I love to go whale watching, snorkeling and to different beaches where sea turtles can usually be seen. But one thing that has always fascinated me is to watch the green sea turtles. I watch as they come in close to the corral and then suddenly the waves come crashing in and pound them in the surf and up against the corral. It seems like such a hazardous place to hang out. The waves are relentless and toss them merciless again and again against the corral. I often wonder why they don't go somewhere where it is much safer and easier.

One of their daily routines you may witness is feeding. This is often the case during high tides, when they can reach the plants growing in very shallow water that they can’t quite get to when the tide is low. This is an important window of opportunity for them as they have only a few hours to ingest as much of the sun enriched vegetation as possible before it is again inaccessible. This is their job and they work hard at it. You can see just how serious they are as the waves lift them up, and then crash them onto rocks, while they just continue trying to graze as much as possible. As they are battered against the rocks, reef and sand, you begin to realize the importance of those cumbersome shells they lug around. When they have a good mouthful, they will settle back into more peaceful water to chew, swallow, and grab a breath of air, and then it is back into the surf. This is a never ending task, day after day.

As I watched this process I wondered how much of the high tide pressures I am willing to endure. Do I want to bail at the sign of the first pounding wave? Would I prefer to swim in calmer waters and yet in doing so I would lack the nutrional value for life. Is our Christian life much like the life of a turtle. We find ourselves thrown against the rocks again and again yet we are not crushed. We are renewed every morning. We endure the high tides for the beauty of the low tide. But all comes at a cost. A cost that Christ was willing to pay for me. Shouldn't I be willing to endure the pain and suffering for a season in order to experience all the beauty He has for me later? For I see but a glimpse and He sees the whole picture. May God reveal to you a glimpse of the beauty He has in store for you.

Aloha,

Evasia