Having grown up near the ocean, I LOVE all things related to the sea! Walking on the beach, swimming, sailing, water skiing (at least in my younger years) all have a way of refreshing my body and soul. So when a friend shared these incredible pictures earlier this week — and a life lesson learned from them — something resonated in my very core.
She and her family were at the beach here in Thailand (this is our hot season/summer, and so schools are on break). She shared…
I got to observe 15 species of crab this week…
Cheryl Stinchcomb
Some were armoured and scary-looking, some looked soft and vulnerable, some preferred hiding in their shells to scuttling on the rocks, some colourful, some camouflaged.
All required some level of retreat for survival.
Life lesson from the rockpools —
there is space for all in this world and retreat is good!
The hermit crab should not try to live like the stone crab.
They are not made for it…
and yet still I push sometimes for the
hermit-crab people in my life to “come out” more…
Retreat is necessary for all of us,
but more for some species (people) than others.
in “God’s Creatures in Thailand” Facebook post
April 18, 2024
The reason this resonated with me is because I sometimes find myself in a tizzy, anxious about one thing or the other; weary because of a busy schedule; becoming snippy, critical with those I’m closest to (translated: my husband!). What my soul is trying to tell my brain and my body is that I need to retreat… to take time to do something to nurture my soul. Something that can get my focus back on what is life-giving as opposed to feeling drained. Something that recharges me.
As a Christ follower, the primary way that happens is by spending time reading God’s love letter to me (aka the Bible). But in all honesty, the past few weeks I feel like what I’ve been reading has been going in one eye and out the other — completely missing my heart and soul. Instead of being recharged, my battery level has kept going down.
Cheryl’s “life lesson from the rockpools” reminded me of how Jesus — God Himself walking among man — sometimes felt the need to get away, to withdraw, to retreat.
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. – Mark 1:35
Perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king [after the feeding of the 5000], Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself. – John 6:15
Hmm… if Jesus needed to do this, how much more do I!?!
My “life lesson from the rockpools” is that I need to MAKE time to do things that provide “retreat” from the busyness of life, things that recharge instead of drain my energy. This doesn’t mean to forego my daily times reading the Bible, but to be intentional in doing things like writing this blog — since it is life-giving for me! Another is getting together with a friend for a heart-to-heart/below-the-surface chat. I also need to recognize the importance of planning some down time, which has a way of refreshing and renewing. Proverbs 13:12 talks about this when it says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” In other words, having something to look forward to is also life-giving!
And that, my friends, is how I’m choosing to move forward so that I can have joy in the journey of this thing called “Life!”
By the way, if you would like to check out more of Cheryl’s adventures, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/274029857018047/?ref=share
Joy in the Journey 