Community of Turtles
They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. Psalm 36:8
Are we thankful—enough? Will we ever reach that point when we have a grateful heart all the time? I have not arrived and truthfully, neither have you. From All God’s Creatures, Amelia Rhodes shares a life lesson taught by turtles.
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My daughter and a friend came home from kayaking one early summer day claiming to have seen over one hundred baby turtles in the river near our home. My son and I decided to venture out a few days later to investigate their claim. We meandered upstream in our boats, seeing a few turtles here and there, until we came to two big logs in the middle of the river. We slowed our boats to not scare them away, and my son began counting. Fifty-two turtles of all shapes and sizes sat on those two logs. We dubbed the area Turtle Town and sat watching until they began to notice our presence and slip back into the water.
We laughed as we paddled home, still not believing the abundance of turtles in the river—from massive snapping turtles to baby painted turtles, they had all claimed those two logs as home.
The delight of so many turtles was a gift from God in the midst of a challenging season. The smiles and laughter of my son displayed warmed my heart as he’d had a hard year and smiles were rare those days. It had been easy for me to focus on all that was lacking during that season—joy, laughter, friendship, and community.
As we left Turtle Town, I thanked God that He always knows just what we need. He is a God of abundance, and He delights in sharing with us in our need, even if it’s through fifty-two turtles sunning on a log. I determined that rather than focusing on all that was lacking, I would lean into who God is—a God of abundance.
Friends, when you’re feeling empty, stop what you are doing and count five blessings the Lord has given you, then thank Him for His abundance.
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Find the good of God! It is greater than any of your problems.
Father God, thank You for Your provisions and Your abundant love. Help us to live lives of gratitude as we journey through life. AMEN.
Photograph Michael Johnston