We have had the pleasure of having a hermit crab for a pet
for almost a year now. Who knew they could live so long! We originally had 2 but one ran away,
if you could imagine that. (Or maybe we lost him, I don’t think they run that
fast.) One year later though we still have Biggs (the name is another story).
Now that we are getting ready to move we have found someone willing to take him
in, but he has had some big changes going on before his official new home move.
I went to check on him one day and picked up his shell and was surprised when it appeared that he was completely out of his shell all dried out. So as any girl would do I sent Clint out to handle that. He pulled the dried out stuff out so we could keep the shell and was again shocked to see there was still a crab in the shell. He apparently shed his outer layer like a snake. Are crabs supposed to do that? I had never heard of such but I am not well studied on that kind of thing. Alas, Biggs was still alive, he had just shed some excess. And if you think about it that is kind of like us. We are still here in our house in the States, but shedding our layers of excess stuff we were carrying around. I am reminded of the verses in Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I sure did have a lot of stuff stored up and holding me down. I pray that through this new adventure I can reprioritize and not fall back into the storing up so many earthly goods!
I went to check on him one day and picked up his shell and was surprised when it appeared that he was completely out of his shell all dried out. So as any girl would do I sent Clint out to handle that. He pulled the dried out stuff out so we could keep the shell and was again shocked to see there was still a crab in the shell. He apparently shed his outer layer like a snake. Are crabs supposed to do that? I had never heard of such but I am not well studied on that kind of thing. Alas, Biggs was still alive, he had just shed some excess. And if you think about it that is kind of like us. We are still here in our house in the States, but shedding our layers of excess stuff we were carrying around. I am reminded of the verses in Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I sure did have a lot of stuff stored up and holding me down. I pray that through this new adventure I can reprioritize and not fall back into the storing up so many earthly goods!
About a week later we left to go out of town and when we
came back Biggs had completely come out of his shell and instead of moving into
one of the other shells we had for him, he was just sitting there naked. Now as
I have already admitted I don’t know a ton about crabs, but I do know that he
won’t live long without his shell. So we immediately ran over to the pet store
and buy him more alternative shells for him to choose as his new home. By the
time we got home though, he had already moved into one that was in there Thank goodness! Again I see a parallel to our life. We will move out of our
home and our comfort zone, just like he left his shell. There will be a period
of time during training that we will be out living in a bit of limbo not really
settled in. But you know what, God has a plan for each of us! He will not leave us out in the
elements without protection. There is a lot of new and unknown experiences we
are about to enter into, but there is major comfort knowing God has prepared
the way for us. As long as we follow Him and walk the path He set out for our
lives we have nothing to fear.
Psalm 18:2 “The LORD
is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take
refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
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