Don't Go In There

What seemed harsh was misunderstood mercy. Sometimes we need to go through lessons in obedience to save us from a tragic outcome.

As a boy, I did not always listen. In England, I threw a pebble at a tiger, that nearly climbed out of his cage to teach me a lesson. While we lived in Florida, I went to a Boy Scout Jamboree camp for a week. Earned a handful of merit badges, the mile swim badge was my favorite. At the end of camp, we swam across the camp's murky "dead" lake four times without stopping. That evening, my buddy and I snuck out in a canoe and paddled along the cattails. A motorboat sped up and yelled, "Can't you read the sign! Beware of Alligators" Yep, same lake we have been swimming in all week. At least no sharks.

We only lived a mile from the Gulf of Mexico, so we walked there almost every day to play in the sand and swim. I would swim out near the dolphins. One day, my dad asked if I and my older sister wanted to see the new movie "Jaws". I had already read the book and was excited to see the movie. By the time we got to the theater, there was a long line out the door. Everyone was buzzing about how awesome it was, like a new ride at Disneyworld.

Amid all that noise, I heard a man's voice softly say "Brett, don't go in there."

Huh? I looked around and then asked my sister if she was playing a joke on me. She said no. I blew it off. In a couple of minutes, I heard the same voice say louder "Brett, don't go in there." I looked around again confused, and asked my dad if he was talking to me. He said no. Message received, but I blew it off and watched the movie. Okay, I was scared at times, but I knew the story so not a big deal. Right?

For several months after, I had vivid nightmares about sharks trying to attack my little brother and me. The part I did not mention is, that I would swim far out and hang out on the border nets to watch the nearby dolphin fins. Sometimes even towed my little brother out to watch and splash around on his inner tube. The intense shark nightmares were relentless for that year. I never swam into deep ocean water again. Later after researching, I understood the message. Those fins were NOT all dolphins, and there were known holes in the nets.

Where the tiger and alligator failed, Heavenly Father taught me a hard lesson in obedience. And I strongly believe, saved my brother and me from being fish food.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

The greatest test of life is obedience to God.