Penguins in Peril

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down – when we die and leave these bodies – we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies. It is because we know this solemn fear of the Lord that we work so hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. (2 Corinthians 5:1-11 NLV).

Oil spills are some of the most challenging environmental disasters. These toxic spills pollute the ocean, often injuring and killing animals that live there. Birds and mammals need to be captured, cleaned, and given medical treatment to have a chance of survival. Rescue workers must act quickly and sometimes creatively. In January 2000 an oil spill near Phillip Island, Australia, threatened the tiny penguins that live there. The penguins' home was already at risk. In the last eighty years the penguins have lost more than ¾ of their Phillip Island breeding area, mostly as a result of human actions. Rescue workers at the Phillip Island Nature Park tried different ways to keep the penguins warm and to stop them from swallowing the deadly oil. Dressing the penguins in doll sweaters proved to be the most successful technique. Soon, news of the penguins' need for sweaters spread via the Internet. Knitters in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States downloaded penguin sweater patterns and set to work. Some got very excited, adding special touches, like little bows. Others knitted sweaters in the colors of their favorite sports teams. The birds' shiny feathers are coated in natural oils that keep them warm and waterproof in the icy waters. The crude oil from the spill destroys the penguins' natural oils. When this happens, the birds cannot protect themselves from the cold. To make matters worse, penguins clean and smooth their feathers using their beaks. If a penguin preens after an oil spill, it will swallow poisonous oil, and probably die. The wool sweaters keep in the penguins' body heat, and prevent them from being poisoned by the oils. The tiny Phillip Island penguins, known as Fairy Penguins, or Little Penguins, are only half as tall as the famous Emperor Penguins of Antarctica. In fact, they are the smallest penguins in the world. Their sweaters are about 9 inches high and 4 inches wide, with openings for the head and flippers. The sweaters must be pure wool to provide enough warmth for the penguins. "They look so cute," said Pat Gallup, who coordinated a Canadian effort to make sweaters. "You can just see their heads and little flippers sticking out." So if you visited Phillip Island a year from now, would you see groups of little penguins in sweaters swimming along? No, the sweaters aren't forever. After the penguins are cleaned and dressed in the sweaters, they are put in salt-water pools at the rehabilitation center. As they swim and regain their strength, the salt water destroys the wool. By the time the penguins are ready to return to the ocean, their natural oils will have come back, and they can go home dressed only in their feathers.

The Holy Spirit is our “sweater” of protection against this world’s pollution and poison. As long as we live in this world we have His presence to keep us safe. However, we also have the unalterable promise of God that we will be released from the encumbrance of this world’s flesh and given a new immortal body. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. Be encouraged today! Put on the Holy Spirit and rest in Him!