BE CAREFUL!

Sylke Rohrlach, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0.

Sea slugs are called the ‘butterflies’ of the ocean!  God’s paintbrush has given them a Technicolor appearance!  Their loud coloration rivaling that of a butterfly wing is actually a defense mechanism to warn potential predators that they are poisonous and not worth the pain!  The ‘Blue Dragon’ pictured above is one of the most beautiful sea slugs, but I recommend you leave it alone or you will end up in a world of pain!!!!                                                       

P.S., if the word ‘slugs’ grosses you out, their technical name is, of all things, Nudibranch!!

This particular ‘nudibranch’ does not create its own venom.  It feeds on the tentacles of jellyfish such as the Portuguese man-of-war which contain a specialized cell called a nematocyst.  This cell has a barbed, poisonous coiled thread that can be projected in self-defense.  These cells pass through the digestive track of the nudibranch and are stored in what’s called a cnidosac at the end of their horn shaped tentacles.  If the nudibranchs are threatened by a would-be predator, they send the stolen nematocysts into their attacker.  Biologists say this is the most remarkable example of recycling in the animal kingdom!

What are they recycling?  Poison.  Ask the beasts and they will teach you!  What is the Blue Dragon teaching us?  Poison in, poison out.

What poison are you recycling?      

Are you familiar with the story of the Israelites when God delivered them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt and led them to the very door of the promise land?

God said, ‘I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’  Exodus 3:17.

Before they entered this ‘promise land’, the Lord said to Moses, ‘Send men to explore Canaan, which I’m giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of their ancestor’s tribes.’

So Moses sent 12 spies into the land.  Ten of these spies came back with this report, ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!  Here is its fruit.  But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large we can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.  The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.  We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’  Numbers 13:27-33. 

Their bad report and unbelief poisoned the Israelites.  They were convinced that they could not conquer the land as God had promised.  Of the twelve spies, only Joshua and Caleb believed God!  They said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’ (Verse 30).

And what were the consequences to the Israelites for not believing Gods word?    

All of the spies, except Joshua and Caleb, were struck down with a plague and died!  To the Israelites God said, ‘NOT ONE of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.  But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.’  The Israelites who believed that poison never entered the promise land but wandered in the wilderness until they died.  Numbers 13-14.  Joshua, Caleb and the Israelites descendants didn’t enter the promised land for forty years!  

SERIOUS BUSINESS this recycling of poison!!!

Do you remember hearing this song?

O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see

The verses go on to say: 

O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little tongue what you say

O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little heart whom you trust

O be careful little mind what you think

God the Father up above is looking down at you in love hoping for your sake and His that you will be careful what you see, hear, say, do, where you go, whom you trust and what you think.

So that you will recycle ‘that which is true, noble, right, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy’ . Philippians 4:8. And be a blessing to yourself, your family, your neighbors, your nation and your God! 

Do yourself a favor and click on the following links to see a few of the over 3000 species of these beautiful sea slugs!

“Lettuce Sea Slug” by laszlo-photo is licensed under CC BY 2.0

“7c. Opalescent Sea Slug” by kqedquest is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

“Sea Slug Sixty Nine” by PacificKlaus is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

“Sea Slug Chromodoris annae” by berniedupis licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Crawl_Ray, Flickr // CC BY-ND 2.0  ‘Sea Bunny’