Snorkeling Warnings

I love snorkeling! I first started snorkeling at Catalina Island, California, United States of America. I was hesitant at first, but my sister let me borrow her gear, and I was hooked! Later, we went to the grocery store to buy frozen peas because someone told us that the fish love to eat them. The cashier warned us not to let the bag of peas touch the water because the fish could see it and would go for the whole bag. I thought he was half joking, but I decided to humor him and hold the bag of peas outside of the water with my right hand while I fed the fish with my left. I enjoyed seeing all the fish as they flocked to me, especially the orange garibaldi, which is our state fish. After a while, my right arm grew tired, and I reasoned that the cashier may have indeed been joking. He was not! No sooner had I let the bag touch the water than a huge fish with serrated teeth came up and bit my right index finger, trying to get to the whole bag of peas! My screams were muted by my snorkel mask as I frantically swam back to shore with one hand out of the water. Suddenly, my right arm was not so tired as I went into flight mode. While snorkeling and enjoying the beautiful fish once more the next day, I did not notice I was swimming away from the shore. I was so engrossed in the beauty around me that I was not paying attention to the direction I was swimming. Suddenly, I felt someone tug on my leg, and I turned around and saw a stranger. I thought he was just trying to flirt with me, so I swam away even faster. Well, he swam faster still, following me, and grabbed my leg again. I turned around and looked at him again, agitated. He pointed toward a huge boat that I was headed straight toward, and then he turned around and swam toward the shore. I headed back to shore as well and sheepishly thanked him. Though I had been slow to recognize the help God had sent me, I was glad He used this man to keep me from danger. Will you pray with me that God will help us to recognize when someone has come to warn and keep us from danger, whether it be physical or spiritual? Let us pray that we, too, may be conduits of His love to warn others away from danger.

Mary C. D. Johnson