The construction of the High Speed 2 railway line from London to Birmingham is a huge engineering project. Amongst the many tasks there has been the provision of a ‘bat tunnel’. An artificial tunnel, built over a section of the high speed line, to prevent bats being killed by fast trains as they fly over that particular section of line. Years ago an electrified line on the third rail system had small tunnels provided underneath the lines to give badgers safe passage.
One of the most amazing examples of applying measures to protect wildlife from danger can be found on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. Following the first major rainfall at the beginning of summer, millions of Christmas Island Red Crabs carpet the island as they migrate to the coast. These palm sized land crabs live in burrows in the rainforest for most of the time, feeding on leaves, fruits, flowers and seedlings, occasionally scavenging on dead crabs and birds.
Their young must, however, develop in the sea, thus, once a year both the males and females swarm in their countless millions to the coast to breed. The males arrive first to make burrows beside the shore. Females arrive then to mate with them and stay with the eggs while they develop, before they crawl out and release the eggs into the sea. Here the young hatch out as free swimming larvae. Although they are small and vulnerable to larger marine life, their vast number ensures that many survive to become tiny baby crabs ready to come ashore to the rainforest. When they reach maturity at about four to five years old they are ready for the yearly migration to the coast.
These crabs are unique both to Christmas Island and the Coco Islands. The migration has quite an impact upon the Christmas Islanders. So many crabs on their migration journey cause traffic problems that often result in them being squashed by vehicle tyres. To prevent this happening crab bridges and tunnels have been provided. At sections of the road where large concentrations of crabs gather, fences, that the crabs cannot climb, are placed to guide them to a bridge or tunnel, in order to cross safely.
For these crabs the most important journey they make is this yearly migration. They know the way to go and what to do when they get there. They are another example of God’s amazing work of creation.
There is a purpose to their lives. They must reach the coast safely but to do so they must take a way that has been provided for them, without them asking or building it. The end of the journey at the coast means life.
We as humans are also on a journey from birth to death but death is not the end for we face the reality of eternity. Are you prepared for eternity? The crabs know where they are going to but they do not know the sure and safe way, they need someone to provide for them because its impossible for them to do it for themselves.
We all will stand before God as sinners and no sinner can enter Heaven of their own accord in their sin. So God in His infinite love has provided a way to remove the sin from your life, so that at the end of life’s journey you will enter Heaven totally sinless. He sent His Only Begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to die on the cross at Calvary as the supreme sacrifice for your sin and mine. God has provided a wonderful way for us to go to Heaven but we must repent of our sin and ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ’ as our Lord and Saviour. It is the only way.
Key Verses
“He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no one receives His witness. He who has received His witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:33-36
DAILY MESSAGES WITH MEANING (04/12/25)
Written by RODERICK BARTON
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