Penguins in Peril

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. (2 Corinthians 5:1-11 ESV). 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!