Faith in the Fetal Position (Friday Devotional)

 

Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer.

- Romans 12:12

Like people, all animals have certain defense mechanisms they employ when they feel threatened. Predators are likely to lash out with their teeth and claws, using their superior strength to engage in a fight they’re sure to win. Animals blessed with great speed are more likely to fly or run away, outpacing whatever is frightening them.

But for a few special animals, neither fight nor flight is the answer—they stay right where they are and simply shut out the world. There’s the snail and the turtle, which retreat into the shells they carry around on their backs. There’s the possum, which enters a state of defensive thanatosis, more popularly known as ‘playing dead.’ And of course, there’s the armadillo, which curls into a tight ball, protected by the armor on its back. For all these animals, the response to danger is not to take on the challenge or escape it, but simply to retreat within yourself.

Sometimes humans share that quality, hoping problems will go away on their own instead of doing something about them. In hard times, we find ourselves praying that God will deliver us out of our difficulties, that if we shut our eyes tight enough and clamp our hands over our ears, he will make our problems vanish into thin air.

But one thing we see in the Bible is that the road to the promised land often comes through hard times, not around them. While God is more than capable of rescuing us every time we struggle, more frequently he redeems that struggle to bring about something beautiful. Just as there’s no empty tomb without a cross, sometimes we must endure before we enjoy.

Whatever the turtle, the possum, and the armadillo may think, shutting out the world is no solution to your problems. Instead, engage the world as a witness to God’s grace and glory: rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, and persevere in prayer.