A Whale of a Story-a word on addictions!

AN ENCOURAGING WORD for February 16, 2006 - written by Dr. Thomas Lane Butts, Pastor Emeritus, Monroeville First United Methodist Church tolabu2@frontiernet.net

On December 15, 2005, the San Francisco Chronicle carried a story about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in an unbelievable web of crab traps, fishing nets, and lines. She had hundreds of yards of line (rope) and nets wrapped around her body, tail, and torso, and there was a line in her mouth. She was so weighted down and entangled that she could scarcely stay afloat.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farralone Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that her situation was so critical that the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her – a very dangerous proposition. One slap of the tail could kill a rescuer.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed the whale. When she was free, the divers said she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around. She thanked them.

Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The man who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the whole time.

The plight of the whale has more than a few human parallels. For reasons too numerous to recite we become entangled and trapped by mental, physical, and emotional detritus that is floating around in our world. We didn’t intend for it to happen. And, we never thought it would turn out as it did. We did not think we would get hooked. We always thought we could cut ourselves loose whenever we wanted to. We thought we could quit before we got addicted. We thought we could pay the money back before anyone found out. But one day we found ourselves entangled and trapped beyond our power to break loose. We were being dragged under. We could no longer stay afloat.

If this ever happens to you, and I pray it does not, may you be fortunate enough to find someone skillful and caring enough to cut you loose before it is too late. May you encounter someone who will have the courage and strength to snatch off the man-hole cover and come in and pull you out. And, may you still have enough presence of mind to accept help. And may you have enough class to show real gratitude to those who took the time, effort, and risk to cut you loose.

Can you hear what I am saying? I hope so! It begs to be heard.