The Great Turtle Rescue
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised. Genesis 28:15 (NIV)
This is a great devotion from All God’s Creatures for April 30th by Ashley Clark. There certainly are times when I do not think I need to be rescued and I fight to keep going on my course. And then…
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I have this thing with turtles. For starters, I love them. But they also seem to love me, because at least once a year, I find one crossing the street near my house. My most recent turtle rescue saga involved a baby who looked so much like a small rock that I didn’t recognize what it was until I’d already driven pass.
When I picked up the little turtle, it did the same thing box turtles always do during these rescues—hid its head under its shell. I felt so sorry for it! I can only image how terrified that poor little turtle must have been to have a human suddenly pick it up in the middle of its progress.
The thing is, what the turtle saw as a threat and disruption was actually a rescue. After I moved the turtle to a shrubby area in the same direction it had been going, two cars drove through. The turtle was very small to face such a great danger, and it needed me.
Just like that turtle, I sometimes walk along my own little path, oblivious to the dangers that may lurk around me. God promises to keep me from these threats, yet sometimes because my vision is limited, it’s easy to feel as though His rescue is a disruption. In reality, He is protecting me from dangers I cannot see.
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Father, thank You that Your Word says You watch over me and keep me from danger. On the days when following You causes disruption to my plans, help me to remember that Your plans are for and not against me and that I can trust wherever You lead. AMEN.
Photograph: Michael Johnston