Hello ,
In January 1999 the North Atlantic commercial fishing industry saw a deadly string of accidents.
In a 13-day span, the Cape Fear, the Adriatic, and the Beth Dee Bob were lost at sea off the coast of New Jersey. In all, 10 men died, five never to be found. Commercial fishing is a dangerous way to make a living, but even so three ships lost in such a short period of time is extraordinarily rare, particularly when all three were from the same docks.
Investigations revealed the following facts about the three separate
tragedies:
- None involved a hull breach.
- All three ships were piloted by veteran captains with 10 years or more in the wheelhouse.
- All three ships were near the end of their journey, less than 15 miles from home.
So what happened? Two of the three ships were carrying too much weight, and one was carrying its weight improperly. Commercial vessels on the water in early January are mostly clam boats, as were the Cape Fear, the Adriatic, and the Beth Dee Bob. A commercial clam trap is 3' x 3' x 4' and weighs 300 pounds empty. Laden with quahogs, they weigh in at between 1 and 1.5 tons apiece! The Cape Fear and the Adriatic each had 10 extra traps on board. That's 10-15 tons of excess
weight!
Interviewers later asked other boat captains who fished these waters the following question: Why would a veteran boat captain completely ignore the papers on his boat and attempt to carry 10-15 tons more than was safe? Time after time, the answer came in the form of a quizzical look and a shrug. Simply put, the behavior was common practice. These captains didn't perceive themselves to be in danger. They were simply
doing what was normal in their industry.*
Even when something can be dangerous for one's health and well-being, we humans are prone towards doing it if everyone else is engaged in the activity as well. Many people are more than willing to engage in activities that everyone else is doing without thinking about the potential consequences.
Take every
day life for example; how many people in our world work seven days a week without considering that their bodies could possibly need a full day of spiritual rest, relaxation, and time with their Creator? If watching the world around you is any indication, the numbers are probably pretty high!
"8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days
shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Exodus 20:8-11
Is it possible that the reason God told us to "remember," is that He knew that people are prone to forget? Burning the candle at both ends is neither healthy nor productive. God has a better way of living, and He's made it with us specifically in mind.
Have a great day and God bless!
Pastor Mike / The Open Word
