Mr. Turtle

Last week, I had an interesting encounter with a  turtle. Olivia and I were on our way to school and had just put on our armor for the day. (Ephesians 6:10-18: Today, we put on our armor of God. We have our belt of truth, etc) As we came down a hill on the two mile drive to school, I noticed there were cars stopped in the other lane. Slowing down, I saw what all the fuss was about. A big turtle with a curiously long tail was crossing the road, taking his sweet time in true turtle fashion. I thought it was so sweet that people were stopped and waiting; the last time I stopped for a turtle on this road, I got honked at. I pointed him out to Olivia and we watched his slow progress with great interest.

Then, in the middle of his journey, this big fat turtle decided he needed to slow down. And then I guess he just needed a break, because the next thing we knew, he was stopping just across the yellow line. Well, I suppose people were only willing to wait as long as he was making progress, and the first car in the line coming from the other way inched up, trying to figure out how to drive over this reptile without squishing him.

"Well, this is just ridiculous!" I decided, turning on my flashers and yanking up my parking brake.

As I jumped out of my car to help the situation along, the man in the car facing me rolled down his window and informed me, "That's a snapping turtle!"

I stopped and stood there. Hmmm, that would explain why he doesn't run across the road to get away from me, which has happened with other turtles. Since this fellow in the minivan seemed to know a little something about turtles (even if he wasn't brave enough to get out of the car), I asked,

"If I pick him up from behind, is his neck long enough to reach me?"

He thought about that and answered, "No, that would be okay."

Hmmm...wonder why HE didn't think of that!!

Anyway, I marched over to this stubborn turtle and grabbed his shell from the back. I have to tell you, I was shocked at how heavy he was when I lifted him from the ground. He was twenty pounds, at least. And as soon as I picked him up and started moving, he was NOT happy! I guess I would panic, too, if some giant came along and lifted me up, so I don't blame him for trying to get away. His front legs started flailing, desperately searching for the ground. His back legs found my hands and began pushing against them forcefully, attempting to pry himself free. That sucker was STRONG!! All of this while I ran across the road, trying not to drop him, which I didn't do until I got to the other side. When he fell into the grass and rolled a couple of times, I apologized profusely and ran back to my car to douse my hands in sanitizer. Whew! What a way to start the day!!

As we drove on to school, I saw that Mr. Turtle's back foot had left a little scrape on my right middle finger. I was just glad I still had a finger....Good thing I had my armor on!!!

As I thought back on this whole experience, the thing that stood out to me the most was the weight and strength of that turtle and the kindness of the scaredy cat in the minivan. I am very grateful that he shared his knowledge with me. If he hadn't warned me, I might not be typing this message today.

Temptation to sin can be a lot like that turtle. We might be eager to walk right up to it and carry it out of the road, but many times, it's a lot heavier and a lot more dangerous than we think. If we get too close or handle it improperly, we can get seriously hurt. I know that's true, because that's happened to me before.

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4, Jesus ran into the devil in the wilderness. Our Savior was hungry and thirsty. He was tired and weary. He was very temptable at that moment, so the things the enemy offered Him must have sounded really good to His flesh. But He knew a little something about the tempter. He knew how dangerous he and his offers were. He knew that, while what he offered Him would feel really good to His body at that moment, it would only ruin God's purpose for His coming. He knew that "no word from God shall be void of power." (Luke 1:37, English Revised Version) The Spirit warned Him, and He used only the Word of God to answer His tempter.

The bottom line for us is that there is no conversation worth having with our enemy but to answer him with the Word of God. If we find ourselves reasoning or justifying, we've gone too far. Anything other than "It is written..." is a dangerous exchange, even if we think the temptation is small. It might be heavier than you think, and its neck just might be long enough to reach around and bite you. Better let Jesus be the One who picks it up and carries it away.

Father, thank You for Your protection. Thank You that Your Word has all the wisdom I will ever need to get me through this life. Thank You for Jesus' perfect example. Help me to learn from Him today. Help me to be more like Him.

In His precious love,
Amy


copyright 2010, Amy Wallace