Salamander Surprise!

Painting and story by Tina Kramer

Joseph and I are on a quest to find the elusive red eft. What is a red eft? The red eft is the terrestrial juvenile of the Eastern Red-Spotted Newt. They are fascinating creatures with a most unusual life cycle. “Their life cycle is one of the most complex of all the salamanders; starting as an egg, hatching into a larvae with external gills, then migrating to terrestrial habitats as juveniles where gills are replaced with lungs, and returning a few years later to their aquatic habitats as adults which retain their lungs”¹

Joseph and I search by the stream, under rocks and logs, and even in the rain, but do not find the newt. For days I continue to look for the red eft but never find it. Bummer!

Many months later, Joseph and his friends are hiking in the woods and find not just one, but oodles of these bright orange creatures. In fact, they find so many that they fill the interior of a baseball hat to the brim with the squirming newts. Thankfully, they were all released back into the forest and not brought home to my backyard.

This story reminds me of Peter when he couldn’t catch any fish. He spent all night fishing, but found nothing. Then Jesus shows up and tells him to cast his nets into the deep. Reluctantly, Peter obeys, and to his surprise, fish fill his nets to the breaking point.

We have all experienced seasons of fruitless endeavors. After years of trying, we are tempted to give up and “throw in the towel.” Then something changes, and suddenly the unexpected begins to happen.

Do you have a story of God answering prayer?

Have you seen the Lord open doors that were bolted shut for decades?

The body of Christ needs to hear your story. There are many people who are depressed and ready to give up. They need to hear your testimony of God’s faithfulness.

Here is my challenge: Share your story. Write it. Speak it. Find a platform and tell the world what God has done for you!

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
    those he redeemed from the hand of the foe. . . . ” (Psalm 107: 2 NIV)

Time to Sing

Therefore the Redeemed by Ruth Lake © 1972 Scripture In Song (Admin. by Maranatha! Music)

Shout out to Mey. You are an amazing lady! I am glad your kiddos are friends with Joseph and helped him find so many salamanders. Thank you for praying for our family.

1. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/wildlife/pdf_files/outreach/fact_sheets/RSNewtpdf.pdf ↩︎