The Tortoise

I am privileged enough to cycle at a world heritage site, the cradle of human kind, as I was cycling this morning I came across a tortoise crossing the road, he was happily moving along and then when I came along on my bike he must have felt threatened and responded in the usual tortoise manner by withdrawing into his shell, in the middle of the road, as if by him going in to his shell his problem (me) would magically disappear. The reality however is that now he was in more danger than before, so I stopped, picked him up and placed in the bush on the side of the road.

It got me thinking about us humans, and how we respond when faced with a tough situation; many of us withdraw into our “shells” and hide away in the hope that our problems will disappear. These “shells” have different names. I have seen friends who when faced with the challenges of life resort to alcohol thinking that their problems will just go away, but in reality they are now in more danger just like that tortoise that stopped in the middle of the road.

Hiding or running away from your problems, or pretending they don't exist does not make them any less real nor does it make them go away, in fact when I don’t deal with that which is before me it only compounds it and places me in greater harm’s way.

Jesus promised us that he will never give us more than we can bear, he also promised that he will be with me even when I walk in the valley of the shadow of death.

Hebrews 13:5  “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you”