While preparing to leave a home I was visiting for the church, I noticed a turtle underneath someone else’s car. I told my friend Scott who was with me that I needed to move that turtle. He shrugged his shoulders in not so positive affirmation but I went ahead to rescue the turtle. The car it was under was small, so I got down on my stomach and crawled underneath the car for my attempted mission of mercy. I reached with my hands on each side of the turtle… When I did,the turtle stuck it’s face and neck out at my face…it look like one of those 3D Movies where the creature jumps out at you from the screen! About that time some friends of mine came out of the house and witnessed this unusual confrontation between man and beast. I could hear them laughing as I tried to drop the turtle, dance with the turtle, and somehow wiggle backwards as I continually bumped my head on the bottom of the car! My only previous experience with turtles was with the benign box turtle, not the ferocious snapping turtle!
Somehow, both me and the unfriendly snapping turtle survived that trumatic ordeal. This reminds me how some things seem like a good idea to hop in and help, but if you aren’t properly equipped or don’t have the right information, it can be disastrous. The Bible encourages us to be careful, that ” it is not good to have zeal without knowledge.”- Proverbs 19: 2 (NIV). Sometimes, it is best to wait and get all the facts before committing to do something. If possible, to take some time to pray, think of all the options, and get good advice. I haven’t always done that, though I strive to be more wise and cautious about major commitments in my life. May God grant you and me wisdom today as we make decisions…and yes, watch out for snapping turtles too…