“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.  So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”  Hebrews 13:5b & 6

Several years ago, I spent a weekend in Savannah, Georgia with some friends.  We decided after dinner to take a walk on the beach to watch the sunset and to look for seashells and sand dollars.  There was a family strolling on the sand that seemed to have the same plan.  There were shells of all kinds – some flat, some large, some plain, some colorful.  The little boy with the family soon discovered that some of those beautiful shells had crabs living inside.

“Mom!” the little boy exclaimed.  “Look at the thing inside!  And look!  Those can go by themselves!” as he pointed to a couple of shells moving mysteriously along the sand.

His father explained that seashells are the “houses” for some underwater animals.  Sometimes they outgrow their houses and have to find new ones.  That’s why there are empty shells along the beach.  The shells that still have creatures living inside should be left alone so that they can find their way back to the water or else they will die.

The little boy stood watching the crabs walking along the sand.  After some contemplation, he began gathering them up and putting them back into the water.  Within a few moments, the crabs were walking back up onto the sand.  The little boy was full of frustration.

“Dad, why won’t they stay in the water?  Don’t they know they’re gonna die?”

The father took the little boy into his arms and said, “Let’s just sit here and watch for a minute.”

The family sat on the sand for a few minutes as the stubborn crabs made their way back up onto the sandy beach.  Soon after their exodus began, they all stopped.  The waves crept further and further onto the beach.  Still the crabs and the family waited.  By the time the sun reached the ocean, the waters had reached the crabs and swept them out to sea.

“Look, Dad!  The crabs went back home!  Did the sun help?”

I didn’t hear the father’s reply, but it made me think about the times in my own life when I have wandered onto the dry sand and away from the life-giving waters.  During those times, I feel alone and abandoned.  But the Lord tells us that He “will never leave us or forsake us.”  He, the Son, is our helper in trouble.  We need only look to Him and He will gather us up and carry us back to safety.