Secure in a Shell by Petra Pierre - Robertson
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3 I stood alone watching the snail as it moved around, outside of its shell, stretching, eating and luxuriating in the blazing sun, unaware that a potential enemy was lurking. It was secure with its shell; even if there was an enemy, its shell would provide protection. Snail exploring its habitat After about eight minutes of observation, I decided to test that premise. Would it immediately pull into the shell if I ventured closer? I moved very close to it. Immediately, the soft slimy body slid back into the safety of its shell. Snail pulling back into shell But how safe was that shell really? It was so easy for me to crush it; or pick it up and fling it against a wall, or in a pond, or dig the soft body of the snail out of the shell with an object. It occurred to me then that the protection of the snail at that point, was not really in the shell, but in me as I stood almost guard-like over it.