Page 28 - Dainfern Precinct Living 9 2020

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

FINDING NEMO?

LOSE THE TORCH

BY PETER STOFFBERG

t’s apparently still the best-selling DVD of all
time, a classic animation which opens with a
barracuda knocking a clownfish unconscious
Iand devouring his wife and their clutch of eggs.
On regaining consciousness, the clownfish finds
that just a single egg has survived. That one egg
hatches into a dearly loved only child who later HOME
tragically disappears during his first school outing. CHURCHING
The determined dad spends the rest of the movie
on the epic quest of finding Nemo.
PRE SCHOOL
The plot twists and turns with excitement,
disappointment and danger, which is somewhat
like the subsequent experience of many dive JUNIOR PREP
masters as their scuba diving clients abandon the
usual interests and demand Ocellaris clownfish
interactions, or simply put, finding Nemos. SENIOR PREP
Thankfully, Nemos are quite easy to find. They live HIGH SCHOOL
in sea anemones in shallow reef water and are
active in the daylight. They’re prone to leave the
safety of their stinging anemone hosts to bite at OUT OF SCHOOL
the long hair of scuba divers and this can provide
a great interactive experience. They are the most
likeable fish, which is why an article caught my CONNECT ONLINE WITH US EVERY SUNDAY @ 9H30
attention this week.

Recent studies show that light pollution is
endangering their existence for the simple reason
that their eggs will only hatch when it is sufficiently
dark. In reefs close to developed coastlines, the
night lights illuminate the ocean to unnaturally high something for the whole family www.familychurch.online
levels and prevent the
clownfish eggs from
hatching. The reason
seems to be that the But what if the cover of darkness is providing an
eggs are designed to opportunity for something to hatch and grow? What
hatch under cover of if we quit trying to shine a torch into the unknown
darkness to give the and trust God to use the darkness?
tiny translucent fry the
best chance of survival. Faith in God is one thing which can arise and thrive
in times of adversity. Deep, loving relationships can
That made me think do the same. The death and resurrection of Jesus
about the term ‘2020’. brought the most stunning light from the darkest
The year of perfect time, God can do that. At a time when many of us
vision has become are questioning the meaning of life and our purpose
the year of darkness. in it, we’ve been handed a perfect opportunity to
Nobody knows what start afresh and build on what really matters. The
to expect next. It light will return one day, and the horror of a global
seems impossible to pandemic will fade into the history books, but where
make any sort of plans will we find ourselves when it does? Will it have
for the foreseeable been time wasted, or will it be remembered as the
future when even moment of our rebirth?
tomorrow is uncertain.
So much is shrouded
in the darkness of
the unknown that it’s
easy to lose hope and
become despondent.

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DPL