I read somewhere recently that if you break off one of the ‘arms’ of a starfish (which are actually called ‘rays’), a whole new starfish will grow from the detached ray. I guess you could say that starfish are “glass half full” kinda creatures that think positive and make the most out of adversity.
Not so for the squid…Squids, I found out, when held in captivity will slowly kill themselves by eating away their own tentacles. It’s probably safe to say they are fairly melancholy creatures, then, and cannot see any good coming out of adversity!
So which one are you most like- a squid or a starfish? How’s your faith- do you trust God and know that His plans are you are for the best, no matter how your current circumstances appear?
I think Paul (New Testament ex-Christian-killer-turned-Church-planter Paul) was more like a starfish. He went through so much more adversity than many of us can ever boast, yet he remained always faithful in his mission and completely trusted that God knew best.
Read 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 to get an idea of some of the challenges Paul had to deal with. Then check out what the same guy has to say in Philippians 3:7-14.
Do you want to be more like a squid or a starfish? It’s totally up to you. The reality is, life is sometimes really hard, and really shocking things can happen to us. But an equally true reality, is that God never changes. He is always faithful, and His love for us and good plans for us don’t change with the changing of our life’s circumstances.
Read more articles by Karen Jimmy or search for articles on the same topic or others.