How many of you love the Discovery Channel? I bet that most of those who raised your hands also enjoy the annual event that Discovery holds called “Shark Week.” Discovery’s “Shark Week” has actually been around ever since it first aired in the summer of 1987. It has included famous celebrity hosts each year, such as Jaws author Peter Benchly, actress Heidi Klum, and even Craig Ferguson. Some animal activists don’t support the show because they claim that with show titles like “Teeth of Death” and “Shark Bite Summer” people get the wrong impression of sharks. Some of the shows aim to be fair by giving statistics to show that sharks are actually more docile the horror movies and some nature shows make them out to be.
Regardless of the criticism, however, “Shark Week” has managed to pull in more than 20 million viewers every year since 1995. This proves that sharks are fascinating; they are entertaining. But why? People love being scared when they know they can’t actually be harmed. It’s the same reason kids go to horror movies; it’s why they go to haunted houses around Halloween. There is something about being scared, or learning about scary things that is fascinating and entertaining to us. Even though it might be fun to watch “Shark Week” or pop some popcorn and turn on Jaws at midnight with the lights out, we recognize that there are real dangers in this world and things that deserve our fear.
WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL MESSAGE HERE? Two thoughts:
- Even though the spiritual world is invisible to us, it is very real; it is even more real than what we can see in front of us. But with Christ, the Enemy cannot win. Satan has no victory in our lives. Therefore, with Christ we must remember that we have power of the Holy Spirit within us.
- The media often dumbs things down and dilutes matters that are of great importance. They can make things seem less harmful than they really are (but, more commonly, though, they make things seem more dangerous than they really are). Our reception of reality should be based on scripture and what God speaks to us in our quiet time with Him.