Life Lessons From a Turtle

     One of the many gifts that was given and or inherited when I moved into my house was this "little" guy. He is a turtle that has been passed down from missionary to missionary over the years and now has landed into my "family.” He is roughly 12yrs old (counting the rings on his back!), a sweet gentle old soul, who sticks his head out and "runs" to you whenever he hears a human voice. His name is Sparticus, which he earned when he won a battle with a lawn mower. Sparticus is a 17-inch (with his head out) turtle that you just want to squish, and love.
     Sitting here this past week I have watched this "little" guy "run" laps around the yard slowly but surely, he makes his way from point A to point B, slugging through the grass, mud, sticks and leaves just to get to the other side. He then spends a few hours there and then makes the same journey back to his favorite leaf pile and hunkers down for a much-needed nap. On his more adventurous days he spends the night on the other side of the yard and makes his way back the very next day. Sparticus is who I want to be like. He is 100% content to just be, he loves his master, he never wants to be far from home, and he just loves to be loved.
     Imagine what our lives would be like if this is how we viewed/lived out our relationship with God. 100% happy to be still, patient, slow to speak, slow to think, judge, react. What would it look like if our relationship with Christ was truly first and the earthly goods second?  What would it look like if we were seeking out God and running with all our might, as fast as our little legs can carry us, right into His lap? How would we change if we had no desire to wander away, making our whole focus on God and His glory, and most importantly revealing in His great and mighty power? What if we were brave enough to accept a gift that we find so hard to understand and receive His everlasting, unchanging love?
     I was reminded today of these verses in Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
     What a promise and joy to know this truth. Now the challenge is will I choose to run my life in circles, trying to figure it all out or live my life like Sparticus... content in the arms of our Savior?