The Exploding Whales of Life

In 1970, a sperm whale washed up on a beach in Florence, Oregon. Oddly, the task of disposing the creature fell to the Oregon Highway Division (OHD). When OHD saw the whale, they drew on their many years of experience on the highways of Oregon and after carefully considering all their options, decided that the most responsible course of action was to fill the carcass with dynamite and blow it to kingdom come.

After talking to the US Navy, they loaded the whale with twenty cases of dynamite. The results made the little town famous overnight. Gargantuan chunks of blubber pelted the little town as far away as eight-hundred feet. Cars were smashed. Onlookers hit the sand. Seagulls, who were supposed to scavenge the remains, flew off in terror.

The words of the sherriff after the ordeal? "It made sense at the time."

Personally, I have used these words more times than I care to count. So much of my life draws me to the hard truth that I often make decisions that in the moment seem wise, but in reality, they're just plain catastrophic.

God wrote about this, as you might suspect. He got one of his "best-laid plans" experts to pen it in Proverbs 14:12:

"There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."

As Christians, we rely on God not just because He commanded us to cling to Him (Josh. 23:8). We do it because our way often leads to danger, sorrow, and destruction (at least according to the Proverbs guy) death.

Some days you might feel like that whale: beached and bloated with no way to get back to anything good. The Lord has your back on that one, too. But, most days, you likely have more in common with the Oregon Highway Division than you might want to admit.

Scottish poet Robert Burns tells us that "the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry." God knows that our wisdom is suspect. He knows when it comes to solving our own problems, we're usually the ones bringing the dynamite.

2 Chronicles 29:9 says,

"If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us."

So, do yourself (and anyone in an 800-foot radius) a favor: let the Lord remove the whale.

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