The Parable of the Hermit Crab

Kristy and I just returned home last night from Jamaica where we spent the past few days celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary (May 25th). We were there 10 years ago on our honeymoon and this was our first return since then (just one more visit and we reach "Jamerican" status). Through American Airlines Vacations we cashed in every single one of the Advantage miles we had ever racked up - approximately 90,000 miles or so - for the air travel and accommodations.

The flight was great, we weren't accosted in the airport by timeshare salesmen, and we survived the death-defying taxi transfer to our hotel. We stayed in Mo-Bay (local lingo for Montego Bay) at a wonderful place called the Rose Hill Resort & Country Club. Upon check-in, the front desk upgraded us from an outdated garden-view to a newly renovated, ocean-view suite after they discovered we were on an anniversary excursion. This initiated an excellent first impression that would be expounded upon for the remainder of our stay in Jamaica.

Kristy and I quickly unpacked our things and immediately went about exploring the grounds. Although half of the resort was under heavy construction (things that could have been brought to my attention yesterday) the hotel arranged it so that all of the attractions were far away from the backhoes and jackhammers. They had recently developed a water park which included a swim-up bar & grill, water slides, and a lazy river.

As nice as that was, Kristy and I spent most of our time on the beach. The water was crystal clear and the sand was soft and white. It had been a long day of travel so we decided to just veg out on the beach lounge chairs and watch the sun set. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed movement in the sand. It was a couple of hermit crabs dragging themselves home after a busy afternoon of sun bathing. Then it dawned on me ... they weren't heading home because they always carry their home on their backs. No matter where they went they would always have their shells to curl into for comfort and protection. If they were to ever leave their shell, they would be completely exposed to the sun and predators.

Hermie and his mobile home - photo compliments of Flickr.com

That immediately sparked a parable into my mind - one quite appropriate as Pentecost is nearly upon us. That hermit crab carries its home with it everywhere it goes just like we as Christians have the Holy Spirit living in us all the time and everywhere we go. Prior to his crucifixion and later ascension, Jesus makes us a promise in John 16:7 saying, "... It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor ["Comforter", "Helper", "Friend" in different translations] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."

When we open up our heart and accept Jesus as our personal savior, the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling place in us. And since He lives in us 24x7 ...

• He empowers us to be witnesses for our Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:26)
• He helps us lead a godly life (Galatians 5:22-23)
• He gives us spiritual gifts for the edification of believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
  
• He is our guarantee of eternal life with God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

And back to the analogy of the hermit crab, without the Holy Spirit we too are exposed to the attacks of the evil one. The Holy Spirit empowers us to resist worldly temptations. And the best part is, He will always be there for us. God says, "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6). He'll never "take a vacation" from being your adviser and friend.

Stay the course, finish the race ... AB

(Next Week: The Parable of the New Fence)

The Parable of the Deep Freeze

When I was growing up as a lad in Sayreville, N.J. we had a particular family custom where Mom would make a gigantic meal on Sunday for us all to enjoy. It could be her famous lasagna or baked ziti or any number of other bulk meals. We would sit down for a family meal and eat as much of it as we could. Dad tried his best to prevent this from happening but undoubtedly there were going to be leftovers.

However, this surplus of food did not get the normal leftover treatment. It wasn't destined for the refrigerator nor would it be eaten in the next week. You see, Mom perfected a process we liked to call 'suspended animation'. The excess food would be placed on microwavable-safe plates and covered with plastic lids. It was then marched downstairs into the laundry room where we had an enormous deep freeze. There were no tears shed or ceremonial words said. There was no trumpet fanfare or 21-gun salute. There was no missing man formation flown over the house for these leftovers. They would surely be forgotten forever.

The food went into deep hibernation like Sigourney Weaver in Aliens. It may be in the deep freeze for a month, a year, or even a decade. But verily I say unto you, the time would eventually come when there is nothing else in the house to eat and you're left to fend for yourself. That plate of kilbossi & sauerkraut would come out of its suspended animation state and find its way to the microwave. Like the door of a cryogenic hyperspace sleep chamber, the lid and plate were encrusted with a thick layer of freezer ice. The contents had been freezer burned beyond recognition. Was it animal, vegetable or mineral? Or had it evolved into another life-form altogether? Sometimes we were willing to take a chance depending on how hungry we were (in the famous words of Austin Powers, "I too like to live dangerously").

(WHAT IS IT?! ... photo courtesy of Flickr.com)

It's funny that suspended animation is not only reserved for food. There are humans who wish to preserve their lives in a cryonic, frozen state; however, the process is currently not reversible (uh ... big drawback if you ask me). In the United States, cryonics can only be legally performed on humans after clinical death, and a legal determination that further medical care is not appropriate (legal death). The rationale for cryonics is that the process may be reversible in the future if performed soon enough, and that cryopreserved people may not really be dead by standards of future medicine.

Can you believe the extreme we as a society are willing to go for everlasting "life" (if you can even call it that). I've got an alternative for you which is far less likely to incur freezer burn. In John 6:47-51, Jesus reveals the real secret to eternal life. He breaks it down by explaining, "I'm telling you the most solemn and sober truth now: Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life. I am the Bread of Life. Your ancestors ate the manna bread in the desert and died. But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of heaven. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever. I am the Bread—living Bread!—who came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live forever ..." (MSG). Believe and receive Jesus as your personal Saviour and we need not fear death. For as it is written in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, "... but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." The apostle Paul reiterates the promise Jesus offers us all. Christ took our place on the cross; He conquered sin, He conquered death so that we could choose to believe in Him, follow Him, and live forever with Him. Hmmm ... suspended animation or Jesus Christ ... you choose.

Stay the course, finish the race ... AB

(Next Week: The Parable of the Hermit Crab)

The Parable of the Big Fish

I had been working for two straight years after graduating from Ambassador University in 1997. I hadn't taken a single sick day nor had I indulged in a vacation either. So when Royal Host pitched the idea of a timeshare to me, I was hooked. I should have known better and followed one of my personal rules: "Never go grocery shopping when you're hungry." Huh? Allow me to digress for just a minute so I can explain. You see, as a poor college student, I would often go to the local Wal*Mart to stock up on ramen noodles for the week. But if I went grocery shopping while hungry, you could never tell what would end up in my cart: party-size bag of nachos, 2-gallon drum of chili, 12 microwavable pizzas ... you get the point. Well the same rule should have applied to this timeshare deal; I was starving for a vacation since I hadn't had one since our honeymoon in Jamaica.

So needless to say, I was an easy target at the timeshare presentation. I was determined to simply eat the free steak dinner, grab the $50 gift voucher, and get out of there with my wallet intact. I forewarned Kristy not to be swayed by the hype. But when the presenter showed one picture of white sandy beaches with crystal-clear blue water, I slapped by checkbook down at the cashier's table and exclaimed, "I'm IN! Where do I sign?" There's more to that story, but I'll save it for another parable.

Taking advantage of the timeshare a few years ago, Kristy and I took a vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. After departing the plane, all visitors are accosted in the airport baggage claim by more timeshare salesmen offering everything from "free" Mexican blankets, to "free" transportation, "free" breakfasts, "free" tequila, you name it. I knew there had to be a catch and I was right. The freebies actually came attached to a 90 minute timeshare presentation that you'd have to endure before the gifts were presented. Since I was sure this time I could say "NO" to purchasing a timeshare, we decided to take one of them up on their offer in exchange for a "free" deep sea fishing charter.

Cabo is well known for their marlin and mahi-mahi so that's exactly what we were angling for. Kristy became sea sick almost immediately and spent the majority of our 3 hour tour in the belly of the 48' fishing vessel. I had fished for small game fish growing up on the east coast, but when a fish finally struck my line in the deep blue waters of Cabo I had no idea what kind of battle I was in for. It felt like my line was caught on the bottom of the ocean floor but the captain assured me it was most certainly a fish. I used my entire body to pull and then reel ... pull and then reel ... for what seemed like hours. But actually after only 45 minutes I was finally able to see what I was fighting for: a large mahi-mahi repeatedly sprang out of the water attempting to spit the hook. But by this time he was starting to tire (and so was I). When I finally got him up next to the boat, the captain knocked him on the head and we brought him on board. We caught a few other fish that day, but this one was by far the largest. See for yourself.

Now you may be thinking this is just another big fish story, but as Christians we have a far more meaningful calling to be "fishers of men". In Matthew 4:18-20, Jesus calls his first disciples, Peter and Andrew, who also happened to be brothers and fishermen. He challenged them to follow Him and become fishers of men by ministering to them and sharing the gospel of the kingdom of God. He presents the same challenge to us as well in The Great Commission.

Later in Luke, Christ used another fishing trip to further illustrate our Christian calling. In chapter 5 of Luke (verses 1-11) the disciples we're calling it a night after a full day's worth of trolling with nothing to show for it. Jesus persuades them to try one more time - in the exact same place they had been trying (and failing) all day! Reluctantly, the disciples agree but have very little faith anything will be caught at all. To their surprise, they catch such a multitude of fish that their nets begin to break and the boat nearly capsizes (they even need help from other nearby boats to keep from going under). What an amazing turn of events! In addition to learning a great lesson on faith, this story also illustrates how we can reach our full potential by answering God's calling in Matthew 28:18-20, "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"

So I encourage you to share your own personal story of how God has changed your life, share your faith, and share hope with the people you come in contact with everyday. Ask God for "spiritual lasik" to see those He puts in your life to minister to; pray for a Godly appointment daily. And one important thing to remember ... a major difference between my fishing trip in Cabo and our "fishing trip for the Lord", is that it's crucial that we don't beat people over the head with our Bibles when we get them along side the boat. Show compassion and patience and in time God will fill your life so full of Christian victories that you too might just be riping at the seams with joy.

Stay the course, finish the race ... AB

(Next Week: The Parable of the Deep Freeze)