Stick To Your Rock!

                                      

An abalone is a shellfish that sticks to rocks in coastal waters. It is a gastropod, which means that its stomach is its foot.The abalone's shell is not only its house, but also its armor. 


When threatened, the abalone can instantly clamp itself to the rock it's on as tight as a vise. In a flash that great big shell can adhere to the rock so tight that it takes a crowbar to pry it off. So when people stick like abalones they really stick.

So, someone recently told me I was like an abalone. "I admire you because no matter what happens, you still hang on to your faith," he said. It was a compliment and I was touched, but it also aroused my interest. Maybe I should try to learn more about abalones. Perhaps I could learn to be a better abalone.

The first waves of trouble usually throw me off for a moment as I see everything rumbling around me, things swirling in the surf, and my world turned upside down. But then I find my rock and cling to it like everything depends on it. Such turbulent times used to be frightening, but I eventually learned that that's just the way it is, that that's the natural order of things, and then it became easier.

As the waves come and go, I understand and know what to do. I know the waves and the rock, I know that I have a suction device that helps me stick, and I've learned that it gets easier the more I do it. Sticking has made my suction stronger. I've also learned to relax when the ocean is calm, but to always be ready at a moment's notice to hold on tight to the rock. I never want to repeat that awful feeling of being tossed and turned about in the ocean of woes. I've also learned to never stray far from the rock, because that it is the one thing I can depend on.

My rock is Christ, of course. He and His Word are my in time of trouble. I'm just a simple, vulnerable creature, but I know who to turn to and hold on to. And believe it or not, I have actually come to love the tumultuous seas. I am, after all, an abalone. The stronger the waves, the tighter I cling.

Enjoy!