Sea Turtles

    This will probably seem a bit odd, but hang with me…please. I woke up this morning with this topic on my mind. So, to not postpone any longer…here it goes:
      The life of a sea turtle starts off in a shell that is in a pit. The turtle has to break the shell to start its life. Once out of the shell it has to climb out of the pit. As if this wasn’t hard enough, this little baby has to make its way to the ocean without being eaten. These little turtles are easy prey for crabs and sea gulls. Once they make it to the water it would seem like smooth sailing, but it’s not. The little ones have to learn how to survive in the ocean. They learn where the food is and where safety can be found. The turtles learn what animals are friendly and the ones that will harm them.
       As a Christian I feel like I can compare my life to a sea turtle. Like the sea turtle; the only way for survival in this world is to make it to the Living Water. The Living Water, also known as Jesus Christ, is my life source. He guides me, just like the currents in the ocean guides the sea turtles. I can find shelter in Jesus just like the turtles find shelter in the ocean. The sea turtle is fed, nourished, and grows in the waters of the ocean. As long as I have Jesus in me, I read my Bible, pray and attend church; I am being fed, nourished and will grow in my faith. I’ve had to allow the Holy Spirit to break my shell so He could help me climb out of the pit I was in.  As Christians, we are called to deny self and take up the cross. This is easier said than done and we all know our journey to accepting Jesus can be full of obstacles that try to keep us from the Living Water. Once we accept Jesus and have the Living Water as our life source attacks will still come. Like the turtle, we have to learn how to navigate this new life. We will have people who appear friendly turn out to be not so friendly. We will have sharks in our lives and of course the storms that rage. When this happens seek shelter, guidance and protection from the Living Water. Living in the water doesn’t mean smooth sailing for the turtle and that goes for us as Christians too. The struggles we go through once we are in the water make us stronger and shows us in our weakness He is strong. We can’t go through life without struggles but we can completely trust and lean on Jesus. In the words of Dory from Finding Nemo: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming!” Until next time, “May Yahweh bless you and protect you.” (Numbers 6:24, HCSB)