Turtles

Does anyone remember this guy? My brother Tyler and I saw him in October, 2009, and he made it to a blog post.

Now obviously, that's going back in time a bit, but I had something to write about turtles, and you don't see turtles in January very often :P 

Turtles are neat little creatures. They are very slow, and thus, when they are attacked, would be entirely vulnerable--if it weren't for their protective shell. This shell is, believe it or not, made up of the same material that our fingernails are (keratin)! This makes for a very solid protection. But of course, such a hard, firm shell will only protect the turtle if he hides in it. When outside of his shell, he is easy picking for foxes, wild cats, or other predators. He is slow and more-or-less fleshy. Yum yum!

Consider the following scenario: A turtle is making his away across the forest floor. He is in search of food, preferably some wild strawberries or clover flowers. Little does he know that another creature is also looking for food, and has spotted him. The fox leaps out into the open and begins closing in on the small, helpless little reptile. The turtle is faced with two options: turn and run, or stay and hide.

What happens if he takes the first option? He makes a bold dash for it, but that is not very fast when you're a turtle. In a matter of seconds the fox catches up, grabs the turtle's head in its jaws, and . . . well, that is the end of Mr. Turtle.

But suppose he takes the second. He sees the danger, recognizes his weakness, folds up his neck, pulls into his shell, and hides. The fox is upon him in a moment, clawing at his shell. Scrape! Scrape! Nudge. Nudge. The fox even manages to turn the turtle upside down. Unfortunately, he finds that the turtle is just as strong beneath as above. After a time, the fox realizes that this one won't do for a meal, and departs.

Interestingly, a turtle would perish if he tried to be strong--because he is not strong. Compared to his enemies, he is a weak, helpless little creature. He cannot hope to out-run, out-fight, or out-wit any of his predators. His only hope is in his weakness.

The same goes for us, doesn't it? Our only hope is in our weakness. When we try to be strong, to do things on our own, to live by our own strength, we hopelessly fail. We simply are not strong enough to do things on our own. The key is to acknowledge that weakness, to realize our own insufficiency, and to let that drive us to our knees. This is our protective shell.

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies" (Psalm 18:2-3).

When danger comes upon us, we are faced with two choices: to try and take it in our own strength, or to take refuge in our high and mighty Stronghold. The choice should be easy, you would think. Call upon the LORD and be saved! But so often we take the other option--and invariably fail. 

We need to realize that, figuratively speaking, we are turtles. Slow, weak, and helpless--apart from our Shield and Defender. Let us learn to recognize our weaknesses, turn to God for strength, and find His grace sufficient for our needs. "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

The information in this post was retrieved from Wikipedia on January 22, 2011.