INNER STRENGTH â—½ YOU
Hard Shells
by Marcy Lytle
Turtles. They have a hard shell made mostly of bone. Its outer surface is covered in scales, and these animals are cold blooded creatures. And our grandson has one as a pet. It's in a large aquarium, and Gideon takes care of Tank regularly. That's why, when we visited a bakery that made sourdough turtles, we brought back one to enjoy!
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Another fact we all know about turtles is that they can pull their heads, legs and tails into their shells completely...to defend themselves from predators. Don't you wish we could do that? I have tried before...to hide from those I don't want to see, or pull away from those I don't want to see me!
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As they grow older, the hard shell of the turtle provides a shield from predator attacks.
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I was thinking about turtles when I gave Gideon his sourdough, as I watched him smile and enjoy the bread!
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I wasn't born with a hard shell, but I certainly developed one as I hit the teenage and young adult years, when I was disappointed in friends and even family. I didn't want to let anyone else in, to hurt me any more. So I held new friendships at an arm's length.
I think I had a definition of "loyalty" as staying friends and close for life no matter what, and it was becoming apparent to me that friends come and go, enter and exit, and I then have this choice. I can toughen up externally and push away new friends, to "protect" my vulnerable heart. Or I can forgive, bless, and pray for those that exit and work on being a better friend that loves without expectation.
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Now, that's hard. And I haven't done a great job at any of those things. But there's this part of me, beneath my hard shell, where He lives and resides and whispers to my hurting heart daily. And he enables me to keep my head and hands and legs "out" so that I can move forward and not hide, when new relationships are offered in my path.
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Turtles are interesting and fun pets to have, they're slow and they're really striking to observe. And while that hard shell serves them well, I'm not sure it serves us well as humans, with hearts that long to be loved and to love...without hurt. And our best defense mechanism is to not defend at all...but rather rest in the knowledge that He loves us best, and he gives us inner strength to love again and again.