Saving turtles

I am constantly amazed by the amazing people who surround me.

And, no, Pollyanna didn't hijack my blog.

Yesterday, I was chatting with my friend Claudia, and she was telling me a story about how she saved a turtle that was trying to cross the street in the middle of a busy intersection. People looked at her like she was crazy as she darted to rescue the reptile and even almost got hit by a truck while doing so. She then took it down to the nearby water so that he could once again be safe in his natural habitat.

Without Claudia, that turtle likely would have met its doom. I mean, according to Indiana Turtle Care, there are some turtles that can outrun humans, but I've yet to see a turtle moving that quickly, and I don't think Claudia's turtle was going anywhere close to the posted speed limit. (The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are exceptions to this, and I think we all know they are too fast and awesome for cars to frazzle them.)

We've all been there, buddy.

Like that turtle, we often find ourselves caught in the busy intersections of life and in desperate need to be swept up and taken to safety. All we want to do is tuck our heads into our shells and hide from the world. Thankfully, when that happens, we have a loving God who is more than happy to stop all of the cars in those chaotic intersections from coming anywhere near us. He lovingly picks us up and takes us exactly where we need to go—to the places where we are safe and wrapped in His caring arms.

And there are also times when we have to help out those turtles in need, as well. In his book Love Does, the witty and brilliant Bob Goff reminds us that, "We were all meant to save many lives. God is always trying to save lives, and it seems He uses the least likely people to do it." When we see those turtles struggling, we need to step up and help those people who are stuck in the road and feel helpless with nowhere to go. You might be just that person who can help another pull his or her head out of the shell and find the strength to keep on going. After all, we all know what it feels like to be helpless turtles.

Sometimes in life we're going to be turtles, and sometimes we are going to be turtles rescuers.

Either way, we've got to get our heads out of our shells and face whatever comes our way with faith and the unshakeable bravery to dodge cars in even the busiest intersections.