Stories that Preach

Crab Skin Several years ago, Truitt and I and two very sad grandkids stood solemnly around the grave of Yoda the hermit crab. Just thirty minutes earlier, the kids had arrived to spend the night, and everyone was eagerly anticipating a night of fun and laughter. As soon as our grandson Huston was in the door, he darted excitedly to our crab-a-tat to check on his beloved pets. Then, in an instant, as so often happens, everything changed. Our hearts dropped as we heard a horrible wail. “Yoda is dead!” Huston lamented. “I picked up his shell and he fell right out.” After much hugging and consoling, we scooped up the lifeless form, took him to the backyard, and held a touching crab funeral. We sang a few hymns, and Arden decorated the crab grave with an artful display of sticks and grass. After the sad event, I went back into the house to remove Yoda’s shell from the cage. As I reached into the crab-a-tat, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Staring back at me from the shell were the brightest, most fully vibrant hermit crab eyes that I had ever seen. The beloved Yoda was alive and well! After some quick research, we realized that Yoda had molted. We couldn’t stop laughing when we realized that we had just held a funeral for a bunch of crab skin! Sadly, I sometimes repeat that behavior in my daily living. I mourn for current events in my life or in the world because I don’t know the whole story. I forget that God does. In fact, He is the author! As believers, we don’t know what the middles of our stories hold for us, but we know for certain that our stories end well. We know that God wins! We also know that Christ walks with us wherever we go. “The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:14. Don’t mourn without hope; trust the author. No more crying over crab skin! “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6).