Love With Eight Arms

Matthew 23:37
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!”

While many people think that the octopus is an ugly creature, the octopus is intelligent. The mother octopus puts a lot of love and effort into the care of her young.

Fertilized octopus eggs are about the size of a grain of rice. They are connected in clusters on slender stalks. Once her eggs are ejected and fertilized, the mother octopus hangs the threads containing her eggs from the roof of her home. It could be a rock cave or even a dark, enclosed man made structure. By the time she is done hanging her eggs, she will have almost 20,000 ivory capsules strung around her.

But now her real work begins. Until the eggs hatch, mother octopus will give up food, concentrating on nothing but cleaning her eggs of any material that might result in a fungus or parasite infection. She cradles the eggs gently in her arms, brushing each of the 20,000 eggs, and sometimes washing them with jets of water. There is nothing else she can do for her young, but this care receives her single minded attention.

It is rightfully said that one cannot create something he doesn’t have. If one does not have love, he cannot create love in others. Therefore, the Creator of the octopus must know a great deal about giving individual love and care to a multitude of individuals. The Bible is our Creator’s own personal description of His love for you and me. Whether you know the personal care and love of your Creator or you don’t, you can learn the depth of His care for you through Jesus Christ in the pages of the Bible.

Prayer:
Dear Father, not only is Your skill and wisdom evident in creation, but we can also see hints of Your love as well. Help me to realize more completely what Your personal and intimate love for me really means in my day-to-day life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Notes:
Ruggieri, George D., with Norman David Rosenberg. 1978. “The healing sea.” Science Digest, Aug. p. 18.