I really love coastal cruising more than cruising far offshore. The reason is that cruising in coastal waters offers a lot more opportunities to see things, in my opinion. There are lots of birds and fish. But there are also mammals, amphibians, reptiles and even insects – all of which are beautiful and diverse creatures.
Birds are amazing. It is estimated that there are 10,00 types of birds. A few of my favorites are shorebirds who rush forward as the waves recede to gather food and then run back to terra firma before the waves return; ospreys who migrate hundreds of miles each year and somehow return to the same location without a map or compass; geese who can haul their relatively heavy bodies for hundreds of miles by drafting behind each other to save energy. My favorite coastal bird is probably the pelican. As I pass by a pelican on a piling they always seem to be looking down their nose at me as if to say ‘You are not going to wear that shirt with those pants are you?”. Generally, with me they are making a valid fashion point.
Things that swim are another fascination of mine. It is estimated that there are 34,000 different types of fish not to mention other swimming mammals, birds and amphibians. I enjoy watching fish that travel in a school that seems to move as one not many. Rays which come out of the water and flap their wings. Turtles who seem unconcerned floating a hundred miles from shore moving slowly toward some destination. The size of an occasional whale takes my breath away and if you can get eye contact or taste the salt of their spray it is other-worldly. My favorite must be the dolphins which seem to be the only creatures that actually seek out human company. I often see dolphins arriving just at sunrise as if to check out the new boat in the neighborhood. And there is obvious interplay between all the creatures. Birds swarm over schooling fish which not only draws other predators but also human fishermen.
All this discussion of creatures and diversity drives me to Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above[a] proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice[b] goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
But did you ever wonder who takes care of all these animals? As a pet owner I know that taking care of an animal is expensive and takes a lot of work. Matthew 6:25-26 Jesus gives us His perspective “25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
And when He walked this earth that is how Jesus lived. He says later in Matthew 8 “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
If you recall the book of Job, there are 37 chapters which describe all the trials in Job’s life and all the questions that he and his three friends ask and try to answer as to why it all happened. God finally answers in chapter 38-41 with such memorable phrases as Job 38:4-5
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
The bottom line of all this rambling is that I literally thank God that I did not design the animal kingdom. I might have just done one of each species if I had species at all. I would have carefully budgeted out how much food I could get and make no more animals than I could afford. If there were multiple species at all there would only be one bird, for example, if I thought I needed birds at all. If you have one type that can fly why do you need others? Like many things in life, the Lord in all His Wisdom decided to go the opposite direction. Every time I learn something new about nature it is like reading the Psalms being written right in front of me. It is also like reading the book of Job in that it reminds me that I don’t have most of the answers or even the right questions.
Teleo 