The story of Eusebius Valdemar Deeptrench III...

A previously unknown species of snailfish was discovered in October in the Peru-Chile Trench at the insane depth of 7000 mt (22,965 ft)! The NatGeo article equates the pressure at that depth with 1600 elephants standing on the roof of a Mini-Cooper. No one thought that there would be a living creature that far down.

I had the opportunity to interview a member of this unique tribe of snailfish. It wasn't easy. They have been minding their own business down there since forever. After some small talk about how it felt to be "discovered", he fell into sharing the sad story of his son, Eusebius Valdemar Deeptrench III.

One day, it somehow got into Eusebius' head that he was tired of living under so much pressure. He decided that it was time for a change.

So, he headed to the local Wal-Mart to buy a backpack and provisions for what he expected to be a long journey. Since the Peru-Chile Trench is 3660 miles long, he felt hopeful about finding a place where he could start fresh and live a stress-free life.

The journey from north to south was arduous. Some days, it took all of the will power that he could muster just to pack up his gear and keep moving.

One morning, a few hundred miles later, exhausted, backpack empty, discouraged, he laid quietly at the bottom of the trench and tried to think about his situation: it was as bitterly cold here as it was back home; the same total darkness; and the pressure felt a little more oppressive... maybe like around 1700 elephants on his head.

He did not have strength or provisions to attempt the journey home. He guessed that he would have to live right where he was now for a long, long time... same circumstances, only made worse by the embarrassment and hopelessness of having tried to improve his situation and failed.

Whenever family back home talked about him, they would shake their heads and say, "poor, Eusebius!" They were just so sad about how foolish he had been:

Anybody knows that if you keep swimming horizontally at the bottom of the trench, you will never escape the pressure. Somehow you would have to go vertical. No one was sure if a snailfish could survive the effort or not.

What was far worse, they could not understand how little Eusebius did not realize that simply by being alive and functioning at 22,965 ft. proved that he was already made for that kind of pressure! What... did he think that after a while he was going to implode? No way!

Interview over, we both sighed, "ah, such a shame..." and said our goodbyes (I wasn't sure how to hug a snailfish).

On the trip home, I became very sad. I thought about so many people that have made the same mistake as Eusebius. All of their moves to escape pressure and avoid stress have been horizontal: wherever they have ended up, the pressure has always been about the same, sometimes a little worse.

What they needed was a vertical move: one that would have allowed God to change them into something like snailfish, so that even with the pressure of 1600 elephants on their heads, they would have been fine.

Sadder still is watching people who claim to believe in Jesus react "horizontally" to pressure, just like the rest: the need to run away, take a vacation, travel, a new house, a church that is more alive, different city, new friends, a new hobby, more friends, shopping, new toys, more shopping, more eating, more activities, more sleeping, more techy stuff, new spouse, more of everything... except quiet time in God´s Word.

When will each of God's children look in the mirror and tell himself the truth?

                    "I was NOT born to run!
                    "I was made for this pressure!
                    "Jesus lives in me!
                    "I will never implode!"

Feeling under pressure? Try a vertical move next time!

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” (Psalms 55:22)

My prayer: may you have the pressure of 1600 elephants on your head today... and be at peace!