John Leow.com

Have you ever watched the show Free Willy? The most memorable scene in the entire show is towards the end when Jesse, Free Willy’s human BFF,  swings his right arm under the killer whale who leaps over a breakwater in into freedom into the ocean.

How do you think  dolphins are trained to jump out of the water and through hoops? It’s a concept called successive approximation.

‘This means that you develop a behaviour by working towards the desired behaviour, taking small steps at a time. A trainer will often use a target in such training steps. Often, a target looks like a foam ball on a stick. The dolphin is initially trained to follow the target. This is done by first rewarding the dolphin for approaching the target. Once a dolphin does that, it is rewarded only if it comes within a certain distance from the target and ultimately only for touching the target.Once this has been established the target can be used to guide the dolphin. By lifting the target out of the water, the dolphin needs to reach higher and higher to be able to touch it until the target can only be touched by jumping at it. This can be one way to teach a dolphin to jump to a certain height. This process of using small steps to develop a behaviour is also called shaping. Often, behaviours are developed by scanning first, followed by shaping to get to the desired end result.’

(Source quotation,’How are dolphins taught in an oceanarium?‘: http://www.robins-island.org/dolphins_training.php)

If a dolphin can learn a new behavior, all the more we must let God renew our mind and teach us how to think like He does. It is a major cause of worry if dolphins can be taught, while we can’t be taught.

Often, letting God change the way we think comes in the form of correction. Let’s see what the Bible has to say

“He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding”- Prov 15:32 (NKJV)

If there was ever a NSV (New Singlish Version), it would read”

“He who doesn’t like to listen to correction is bodoh(Malay for stupid),
but he who listens to correction is wise”

When shepherds, leaders, and people in positions of authority correct us in areas of our lives, how is our attitude like? Let’s not be stubborn willed people, but people willing to take correction.

Prov 3:11-12 – A loving father disciplines his child, for his own good. Part of God’s aspect as a loving father is also that He wants the best out of us. And which loving father does not bother disciplining his child for his own good, although it may hurt the father for a moment. But the end result is eternal fruit that will always remain!