Wiser Than A Fly

 

My friend Don, is a retired Charter Boat Captain and former Bass Pro Circuit fisherman, businessman, husband of 30 years, father of four with seven grand kids. He’s been busy.  One of the sports Don loves is spear fishing. I asked him about the dangers of sharks and he said that there is always a concern when you spear fish. I asked had he ever been attacked and he said no. He said that sharks usually do a bit of circling before they try anything so you usually see them first and can take the necessary precautions to either surface and board the boat or just leave your fish and move to another area. He said they usually just want the fish that you have caught that are attached to your stringer.

“No, sharks were not my greatest concern,” Don said, “My biggest concern were Barracuda.”

He proceeded to tell me of a time when he and a friend were spear fishing and a Barracuda went by and “sliced” the fish off the fish stringer while they were attached to his friend’s belt.   It happened fast and clean. The Barracuda cut the fish off the belt just below the head of the fish, just as if you would have taken a knife and did it. “Very fast and very clean”, Don said.   

I asked him had he ever speared or caught one on a line and were Barracuda good for eating and Don said he had caught them, but would not recommend eating them. I asked why and he said that Barracuda eat Parrot fish and Parrot fish eat Coral. Apparently some types of Coral that Parrot fish eat have a toxin that does not harm either the Parrot fish or Barracuda, but can cause a slight paralysis to humans. It some how affects the nervous system in a way that causes those who digest it to loose feeling in parts of the body, like maybe in the hands or face or legs and feet. If this happens then a person could cut or burn him or herself and not feel it.

I asked Don are all Barracuda like that and he said no. Just those that catch and eat Parrot fish. “So how do you know if they have eaten Parrot fish and the Coral toxin?” I asked. He said that the local fishermen of the Caribbean Islands, who actually eat Barracuda, put the fish on the dock after being caught and wait to see if flies gather on the fish. If they do not then they know the Barracuda is not safe to eat. I thought how interesting that a fly could tell if the fish was toxic.

I got to thinking about what Jesus said about judging people. He said not to do it or those who judge others would be judged. I don’t believe Jesus was saying that those who judge others would be judged by him or our Father in Heaven because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but that we would actually be setting up a toxic environment within themselves. Those who judge others seem to be very judgmental of them selves.  They are full of stress and strife and seem to have no peace. I believe that we as life-giving humans were not created to judge other people's motives and hearts. We are encouraged to seek understanding so that we don’t fall into the toxic poison of judgment ourselves. We are encouraged to think on what is honest, pure, lovely, of a good report and is worthy of praise.

I believe the reason we are encouraged to do this instead of judge is because the things we think about leave a residue inside our souls that can affect how we feel about others and ourselves.  As a life-giving person there are some things I just refuse to “handle with my mind”. Some thoughts are just too toxic to have inside of me for very long. These toxic thoughts like judging others motives as bad or good instead of seeking understanding first are just too toxic to let sit and eat away at me from the inside. It can make me numb.

“Handling” and “digesting” those toxins of the soul can make a person so sick that for years they can live a life that is insensitive to love and life all around them. They cannot feel the warmth of the love of their family and friend in their hearts, much less the love of those God.

Do a purge and detoxify right now. Go make that phone call and deal with it. Don’t live another day with the “numbness that robs” you of receiving and being a life giving person.

Listen, if a fly is smart enough not to eat that stuff we shouldn’t either?

Recommended reading for those of us who have been affected:  How to Stop the Pain

by Dr. James Richards

Stay clean and stay life giving,

Alex Anderson