God’s charming and social creatures, His Otters.

Otter

Brown otter

gleefully play.

with his opaque

watery bauble. (Joseph John Taras Kushnir)

Introduction.

God’s furry, curious and fun-loving river, sea and land living otters. Scotland, a beloved country of mine, hosts a species of these wide-eyed creatures. Sadly, here in Australia we have none. Well, none that I know of.

Cute and charming. Always ready for a game. God their wise and caring creator gave them a loving habit of holding hands. Yes, you have read me correctly. Otters hold hands. As they slumber peacefully, rest during the day and eat. They look after one another. Especially in strong sea currents. We have named this loving and sometimes intimate act, “rafting.”

It has been observed that males and females hold hands whilst mating. I prefer to call it, “making love.” Much more romantic, yes? To ensure another male does not kidnap his beloved. Does this sound familiar? When hubby and I go for a stroll, we love to hold hands. Col is and always will be my knight in shining armor.

Otters, as I, love to swim, dive and frolic in river ways, and in the sea.

The Scottish otter lives in lochs (lakes), and rivers. Their homes are cozy holes in the banks called “holts.”

Unlike me, otters can hold their breath for up to eight minutes. Swimming, playing and hunting in God’s underwater wonderland. Oh! What fun they have.

No, wonder we have such affection for these adorable little creatures of God. They’re furry. They’re streamlined for swimming and having fun in their domain, rivers and lochs. God, their creator, just made them for being and enjoying water, each other and God.

Their God-given instinct to keep the outer layer of their fur waterproof.

Is akin to faithful believers seeking God’s Holy Word each day.

On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness. (Zechariah 13:1, ESV)

God’s steadfast love covers all faithful believers.

Otters spend a great deal of their waking hours grooming. This time-consuming daily ritual ensures that under layers remain warm and dry. As the otter grooms himself, a coating of saliva covers his outer coat. Making it truly waterproof. And, yes very shiny.

This process is only possible, because an otter’s Creator provided each one with fur so dense. It is literally waterproof. And, yes very shiny.

God’s fountain. His risen Son, Christ Jesus our personal Lord and Savior.

Sadly, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23, ESV)

God’s fountain is Jesus our Lord and Savior. We are cleansed by the pure sweet blood of the Lamb of God.

I will pour out on the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a Spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, (Zechariah 12:10a, ESV)

For Christ sacrificed His very life. Jesus’ blood was shed for the cleansing of all sin. And His blessed water sprinkled for our eternal sanctification.

I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against Me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against Me. (Jeremiah 33:8, ESV)

The God-given instinct to all otters to daily groom their fur. To coat the outer layer with saliva. Is God’s reminder.

You and I are saved. We as faithful believers in Christ are redeemed. The soul-cleansing fountain that washes away all sin is Christ’s sacrificial blood.

Let us look at this as a Scottish otter would.

He has spent the morning swimming and frolicking in his loch. Chasing fish for his lunch. Joyfully playing with his brothers and sisters. Now it is his grooming time. His daily ritual to look good for God and keep his fur waterproof. He finds himself a safe and clean place in the sun and proceeds.

This daily ritual has a spiritual analogy for all believers. All people. Yes, all of us are polluted with sin. In the presence of Almighty God. We need the cleansing of Jesus, to approach God our Heavenly Father.

God is love. God loves each of His creations. We each are God's beloved children. And He is our Heavenly Father.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9, ESV)

God out of His boundless grace, gave to us His beloved Son. Jesus’ sacrificial blood is our Fountain, that cleanses each of us from all sin. We become God’s holy and righteous people. We are welcomed by our Father into His Heavenly Family. Reconciled once more with our Heavenly Father. We enter into God’s Heavenly Kingdom. Simply by accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Almighty God is waiting and watching. Waiting to welcome us all into the Kingdom of God.

I, for one, want to frolic and swim in the Holy Fountain of God. To immerse myself in the pure and sweet water of Christ. To dive deeply into God’s love, grace and mercy. To feel His blessings cleanse and purify my body, heart and soul.

Through Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. By His sacrificial death, blood and resurrection you and I are cleansed.

Rock of Ages

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress, helpless look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly, wash me Savior or I die! (Augustus Toplady, Hymn,)

We copy the God-given instinct of His beloved otters. We groom ourselves by seeking His forgiveness from all sin. As our Lord has taught us in His precious and familiar prayer:

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:12-13, ESV)

Scottish otters have as their realm. As their domain Scottish lochs and waterways.

Otters are very social and are tenderly raised by their mothers. Heartwarming moments of a mother otter playing and teaching her pups to swim. Is akin to God our Father teaching us, through His Holy Word. To survive and grow, as we walk along His chosen path.

We search through His Holy Word for divine truth. Without His guidance, we are lost.

As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of man reflects the man. (Proverbs 27:19, ESV)

When we walk with Jesus. We reflect His perfect example. Our love for God our Father is shown to those around us. As a mother Scottish otter tenderly cares for and looks after her pups. We show God’s hospitality, encouragement, compassion and attention to all those we meet. True respect and God’s dignity is showered upon family, friends and especially strangers.

I cannot recall who it was that said to me as a child. “Treat each person as if he/she was a heavenly angel. Sent to you by your Father. For this may be so.” The person next to you in the shopping aisle may well be Gabrielle, God’s archangel. Treat all with the love of God, just in case.

Conclusion.

• Otters are God’s cute, charming and fun-loving creatures.
• Social and always ready for a game with their beloved family. We have a great deal to learn from them.
• Their God-given instinct to groom. Is to us a ritual Spiritual analogy of cleansing from sin.
• Jesus is our Fountain from God.

• God is love. God cleanses us through Christ Jesus, His risen Son and beloved.

• Scottish otters are very social. We learn from them. To love all those we meet.

This article is also published on medium.com https://medium.com/the-dove/gods-charming-and-social-creatures-his-otters-8d0a3e6eb4b3

If you are a little curious. All my articles can be found on: https://medium.com/me/stories/public

If you enjoyed this lovely article on God's fun-loving creatures, His Otters. Please do send me a Comment or if you wish to a Tip.

I have only been writing of my love for God the Father for a short while.

All the support I can gain, is very welcome indeed, Diane Markey.