The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “THE PINK DOLPHIN” for Friday, 1 July 2016 with Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “THE PINK DOLPHIN” for Friday, 1 July 2016 with Scripture: Isaiah 43:1 But now this is what Adonai says,
he who created you, Ya‘akov,
he who formed you, Isra’el:
“Don’t be afraid, for I have redeemed you;
I am calling you by your name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through water, I will be with you;
when you pass through rivers, they will not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire, you will not be scorched —
the flame will not burn you.
3 For I am Adonai, your God,
the Holy One of Isra’el, your Savior —
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and S’va for you.
4 Because I regard you as valued and honored,
and because I love you.
For you I will give people,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
I will bring your descendants from the east,
and I will gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Don’t hold them back!
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth,
7 everyone who bears my name,
whom I created for my glory —
I formed him, yes, I made him.’”
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The Lord says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”[Isaiah 43:1 (NRSV)]
I was fishing with a group off the Cameron jetties in south Louisiana when a pod of porpoises appeared. These social animals entertained us with synchronized leaps as pairs of them surfaced and playfully returned to the depths. We could hear them splashing and clearing their blowholes as they circled the boat. They all looked the same to us — grey on top with white undersides.
Later, as we headed back up the channel, we saw a rare albino dolphin cavorting in front of a big commercial boat. It was pink! It surged ahead of the boat, breaking the water, disappearing for a few seconds, and then gliding up out of the water again. As I watched, I realized that I was more excited to see this solitary dolphin than I had been to see the entire pod of porpoises. The experience reminded me that God sees the uniqueness of all creatures and finds great joy in them, even when they may not be readily understood and accepted by others.
We are all special creations of God whose love for each of us is unconditional. As Christians, we are called to show that same love and acceptance to others, even to those who may be very different from us.
Read more from the author, here."The Pink Dolphin"

The pink dolphin my friends and I saw on our recent fishing trip was first spotted in southwest Louisiana waters back in 2007 by a charter boat captain. It has been reported that she is a female dolphin.
She has been seen and photographed numerous times since that first sighting. She is affectionately referred to as "Pinkie," and many people in the area have been blessed to see her.
She has quite a following on Facebook. Just type "Pinkie the Dolphin" into the search bar on Facebook, and you can see many pictures and news reports about her.
Pinkie is distinctive in a very noticeable way. Some of us are distinctive in very noticeable ways as well. Sometimes we feel uncomfortably different from others, even though it may not be so obvious to those around us. The point of this story and the wonderful scripture from Isaiah 43:1 is that God already knows you as the unique person you are and joyfully wants to claim you as his own. "You are mine!" says the Lord![David McCain]
The Author: David McCain (Louisiana, USA)
Thought for the Day: Each of us is unique in God’s eyes.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your unconditional love. Help us to celebrate the uniqueness of others just as you do. Amen.
Prayer focus: SEA CONSERVATIONISTS

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