“Guess what I just did,” my husband Tim asked as he bounded into the kitchen. As my Mamaw Jo would say: “He’s smilin’ from ear to ear.” It was obvious that he was happy about something.
But I went with what would make me happy: “You bought a large box of chocolates?” Hey, a girl can dream.
“Something better than that. I rescued a turtle on my way home.” As the images of the chocolates faded away in my mind, he proceeded to tell me about it. While he was driving down Crippen Road, he saw a turtle trying to cross over to the other side. He was afraid it would be squashed since there’s a lot of traffic that time of day. So, he pulled his truck off the road, got out, and carried it the rest of the way to the other side. Yes, I thought it was sweet, but it still scared me. “That was dangerous for you too you know.”
He shrugged: “I had the truck’s flashers on.”
A couple of mornings later I was driving down Crippen Road when I saw a lady on the side of it waving her arms. Behind her was an SUV sitting off the road with its flashers on. My first thought was that she had car trouble or a wreck.
I was going to slow down and ask her if she needed help, but then I noticed she was smiling. She stopped waving and pointed to a turtle on the road. It was in the same place where Tim had rescued the other one. Smiling back, I waved and went around them both. I drove a few more feet and saw another turtle trying to cross the road.
It was almost to the double center line. Bless its little heart, I envisioned it being squashed. I don’t like just pulling off to the side of the road, so I pulled into a driveway and parked at the very end of it. As I’m walking back to the turtle, I see a van rounding the curve. At first, I’m not that concerned because I thought it wouldn’t hit the turtle. Then the van veered to the left. That was not good. If it continued, it would run over the turtle.
I yelled: “Turtle” and pointed toward it. The van veered to the left again and straddled it. I think that was the driver’s intent the whole time. As the van drove by, I gave a thumbs up and yelled: “Thank you.” I finally got to the turtle who had pulled into his shell. As I took hold of its shell, it hissed at me.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
Initially I was surprised when it hissed at me, but then I realized it was behaving instinctively because it saw me as a threat. It wasn’t able to understand that I was just trying to help it. You know, the same can be said of us and God. When we experience unpleasant situations and things we don’t understand, our initial reactions are to be defensive or even anger at The Lord. Out first response should always be thankfulness. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Also keep in mind it may be the Lord’s way of moving you to a better and safer place.
After I got back into my car, I wondered what it would be like to retreat into a shell like the turtle had done. I tell you right now, my shell would have to have an entertainment center and some chocolate.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book, “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.
Ed. note: Local vernacular calls for referring to this tortoise as a turtle.