turtle

On my morning walk I saw a large turtle trying to cross a gravel parking lot.  He was a long way from his destination, a nearby river, and I worried that he wouldn’t make it before a car came along, putting him in danger.  So, I approached him from behind with the notion that my presence would encourage him to move a little faster.  But, of course, it didn’t.  Turtles being turtles, he used his basic turtle defense strategy.  He pulled his head and legs inside his shell.  Even when I lightly prodded him on the rear of his shell with my toe, he only hissed and hid deeper within his natural protection.

I could have picked him up and moved him, at least to the other side of the lot.  I would have probably done that if it had been a well-traveled road.  But it was a Sunday morning, and the parking lot was quiet.  I wasn’t quite sure if he was a snapper and might get aggressive if handled.  So, I walked away, and as soon as I got far enough, he resumed his journey.  

It is always such a temptation to me to intervene when I see someone in risky or unhealthy behaviors or attitudes.  And I’m not saying that there is never a time to speak up.  But people rarely learn by being told that they are wrong.  Recovery programs stress that someone suffering from addiction needs to realize their need to change.  Perhaps a carefully planned intervention will help them to get there.  But people, like turtles, are just as likely to pull away, pull into their shells, when help is offered.

Ultimately, it is God who sees each one of us, no matter how hard we try to hide.  What He sees is not always pretty.  What He promises to us isn’t always comfortable, but it is always just and fair, and intended to spur us on to be better.  To the church of Ephesus, the angel of the Lord said in Revelation: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…yet I hold this against you.  You have forsaken the love you had at first…Repent and do the things you did at first…To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”   From Revelation 2:2-7

This is not “be good or I will not love you.”  It is the grace of God to want more for us than we want for ourselves.  It is the love of God to draw us out of hiding into His glorious light. 

Love, Liz