All Washed Up

While walking along a sandy, hot beach after the tide has gone out, you may find all sorts of items to collect; any assortment from shells to jellyfish to seaweed, a piece of drift wood or rubbish left by visitors.  Most often, any shells you may find will probably be broken up by the time they are deposited on the beach; however, one might be lucky enough to find an entire shell on occasion.  For just a moment, I’d like you to take a look at this shell I’ve found.  It’s the shell of a Dungeness crab and it appears to be almost completely intact.  It’s not a dead crab, but merely evidence of a crab who has come out of its shell. 

Let me explain.  Crabs have hard outer shells and cannot grow as mammals do.  They must come out of their shell.  When they are ready to molt, they fill themselves up with water which separates their shell at a special seam.  They then contract their bodies and legs until they’ve backed completely out of their shell.  Once the new shell is hardened, the crab gets rid of the excess water and continues to grow into its new shell. 

You might be wondering what this crab thing has to do with you.  So glad I can share with you the revelation the Lord has given me!   There are times in our lives when we feel like we’re finished.  Done!  We’ve reached our limit and feel like God is finished with us.  Kind of like the empty shell we found on the shore line.  Of course, we know this is a lie from the enemy; however, when we’re at “rock bottom” sometimes we don’t realize this stealth enemy tactic.  God is never finished with us.  He only said, “It is finished” once and that was while we were on His mind as He died on the cross for our salvation.

If you find yourself at this point, maybe all you need to do is come out of your shell.  You see, when the crab comes out of its shell, it also gets rid of parasites and barnacles which have attached themselves to it.  It is those weights which weigh us down!  There are things that we blindly allow to become attached to us which suck the life and desire out of us and only by allowing God to help us come out of our shell will be able to overcome.  Will you be content to “die” as you are or will you be willing to submit whole heartedly to Him (come out of your shell) and allow Him to begin a new work in you once again?  

Consider the scripture, “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.” (Jer. 18:4)  If you’re feeling all washed up on the beach of life, empty and hopeless; allow yourself to be placed back on the Potter’s wheel.  No matter what you’ve done or how you’re feeling at this point in your life, turn it over to Him, He can bring you out of the marred shell you find yourself in and make you a new creature.  He has dreams and plans for you!  Part of His plan is growth…He just needs a yielded vessel.  Instead of being all washed up…allow God to wash you all up and make something beautiful out of your hopelessness.

Lord, please help me come out of my shell…to step out and allow you to rework my vessel into what you desire. I am feeling washed out and really want you to wash me completely.  Your will is what I desire in my life more than anything; I want to be made new.