Underwater Antics

Our story begins deep down in the cold ocean water. Deep, where the sunlight does not travel, there lived an eel family in the crevices of the rocks.  A large family they were indeed....... grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and countless children.  All day long, they sat back in their rock home watching every creature who dared to swim near.  Oh, pity the unsuspecting fish or crab that ventured inside, never to be seen again. Still in the deep sea, yet living closer to the light, were three young fish; a brother and two sisters...Frankie, Florence, and Frances.  

When they weren't in school, dash and dart was their favorite past time. It worked like this:  Someone would be the leader and the other two would follow as closely and as quickly as they could manage.  In the kelp bed and out...loopty-loops around the giant blue whale, behind the coral and the dash into the seaweed floating to the surface. They giggled and wiggled their way along, having a grand time.

One place they didn't play or go, for any reason, was the deep, dark place of the eels. Mother and Father warned of the dangers.

Jeremiah, the sea turtle, an old and tremendously wise family friend, taught the young fish many valuable lessons. He told stories from long ago...verrrrrrry sloooooowly.

What the fish children loved best were stories of the Creator. Again and again, they would beg "Tell us how we came to be." Again and again Jeremiah would share the story of creation out of the Word of God in Genesis 1. When he came to the part that said, "So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems...."  They would  explode into screams of joy, "That's us!!" "That's us!!"

Because of this constant enthusiasm, Jeremiah explained how pleased God was with each of them. They appreciated what God had done and freely expressed it. He said they were praising the One that made them and everything they saw. He further explained that nothing was more precious to God than praise and the joy it brought to one's heart.

Frances, the most thoughtful one of the three, began to wonder about the eel family. Maybe they didn't know about the Creator. Maybe they didn't understand about praise and the joy it brought to one's heart.

Although traveling to the depths was strictly forbidden, she decided that they must know. The next morning while Frankie, Florence, and Frances played the rousing game of dash and dart, Frances slipped away, her heart pounding.  She swam deeper into the darkness past a group of what appeared to be hungry sharks. 

A sense that something loomed above her caused Frances to look up. A gigantic, eight legged octopus, ready to gobble her up, floated just above. "Uh oh," she thought. Quickly, she swam into some  nearby sea grass...waiting until it was once again safe. Then, an enormous pod of Orca whales thundered overhead. Every sound, every movement in the water startled the brave little fish. 

After what seemed like forever, she arrived. Keeping her distance, she called out, "E-E-Excuse me, Mr. Eel....Mrs. Eel."  No response. "My n-n-name is Fr-Fr-Frances and I've come to tell you about the Creator; the One who has made everything...even you and me. I recently realized that you must not know. I  have come to share with you about the joy and peace that comes from praising Him."

Mr. Eel poked his head out from his rocky home, "Is that so?"  
He said this in a cold and devious tone.  "Yes, I knew if someone shared the truth with you, you would be so glad that it would change your life."

"You think I have time for your silly talk?  Who do you think you are; coming here disturbing me and my family?"

In that moment, every family member appeared. The glint of dozens of eyes made Frances tremble. The entire eel family said in unison, "What has the Creator ever done for me?" Little Frances felt so incredibly frightened that she could not move.  She realized that coming here had been a bad idea.

Mr. Eel exited his hiding place, revealing how large he was. A split second before Frances became a mid-morning snack, something scooped her up. She found herself cutting through the water toward the surface at great speed. When they stopped, she found herself being hugged and kissed and inspected for boo-boos  by her mother. Flash, the dolphin had been sent to the rescue when Jeremiah, the sea turtle discovered her absence.

Once calm had claimed their home again, the fish family, along with Jeremiah Sea Turtle, sat down for a long talk. Her father began. "Frances, although your heart was in the right place, you disobeyed your mother and me. We give you rules and boundaries for your safety."  "Daddy and mommy, I am so sorry. Please forgive me." Practically before her words were out they said, "We do forgive you and we love you."   "I didn't understand that any creature of the sea could choose NOT to praise the Creator."

From that time 'til this, Frances, Frankie, and Florence continued to praise with great joy, understanding all the time, that it was their special God given choice.