Beneath the SurfaceSample

In 2004, a 15-year-old girl and her dad were swimming in the ocean off the coast of New Zealand when, suddenly, a school of dolphins came close and started swimming in circles around them. The girl's dad thought it was so cool that he tried to swim to shore to get his camera and take a picture of the dolphins, but then something strange happened. The dolphins used their noses to budge him back towards his daughter. They wouldn't let him swim away. That's when the dad saw something else out in the ocean: a shark fin. A great white shark was watching them from nearby. He realized the dolphins weren't just playing with them. The dolphins were protecting them. They were trying to keep the humans safe.

In our own lives, there are great white sharks and there are dolphins. The sharks out there will try to take advantage of you or exploit you. The dolphins are the ones who will make sure you don't drift away from safety. They'll keep you away from trouble. They'll protect you.

Jesus warned his disciples about shark-like people. He described them as wolves dressed like sheep. They may look innocent, but if you watch carefully, you'll see they're up to no good.

The man and his daughter waited with the dolphins until the shark gave up and swam away. We can do the same thing as we choose to stick with friends who want what is best for us, and who will help protect us from wolves in sheep's clothing.