Winter the Dolphin

The story of Winter the Dolphin is one of my favorite stories! It is a true to story of a dolphin who was in the ropes of crab trap off the coastal waters on Florida on December 10, 2005. Sadly the rope cut off the blood flow to Winter's tail was cut off leaving it having to be  amputated. She couldn't go on without a tail because it would have caused too much damage to her spine because of more pressure being put on it. It made her swim unnaturally from side to side and not up and down. 

If you have seen the movie, Dolphin Tail, you can see how frustrated she gets and how they keep having to make different prosthetic tails to make her comfortable. She would get angry if one didn't feel right and fight against it  and literally taking it off. Finally, after much research they made her a prosthetic tail made of silicone and plastic. Today, she lives at Clearwater Marine Aquarium where she continues to inspire people with physical disabilities all over the world! I have actually been there and meant her. It was an amazing experience. 

Like Winter, we get trapped. We get trapped in circumstances beyond our control, medical conditions, sin, depression, anxiety, mental health issues. If Winter didn't her new tail, she would not have made it! If she didn't past the trauma of what happened and the emotions (which you learn in the movie are very evident in her) then she wouldn't have been motivated to where the tail that worked for her. We have a choice just like Winter- do we want to be mad and angry and be complacent when it comes to our circumstances. Do we want to keep tangled in the sins that so easily trap us? What if we know there was a better a way- like a new tail for Winter but refuse to "try it on for size." There is a better way! There is a new "tail" to give us a different direction. Winter couldn't do it on her own. She was completely dependent on the maker of her tail and we are completely dependent on the only One who can fix us and make us whole again. The choice is ours. 

Hebrews 12 1-3 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The Pilot

I tend to come up with my deepest thoughts during the night. Lately, I have been struggling spiritually. I won't go into details. Suffice it to say, one of the biggest issues I have is giving up control. I feel like I need to control things and if I do not then things will fall apart- that I can't trust God and only myself. 

Last week, I woke up in the middle of the night and had an epiphany.  One of my most favorite things to do is fly! I realized that when I get on the plane, I trust the Pilot to know what he doing. There are so many similarities between a Pilot and God.

1) We rarely see the Pilot but we know he (or she) is guiding the plane and we trust they have the licenses  and knowledge to get us where we are going safely. 

2) We seldom see the Pilot but we know they are.

3) We can't see the Pilot but we hear his voice and can feel his presence when he speaks over the microphone. 

If you are like me, remember this! Once I had this big epiphany, I suddenly made sense why we can trust God! If we can trust the Pilot on our adventure, certainly we can trust the Pilot of our lives.