Do You Have Enough Faith To Move?

Hermit crabs live in borrowed shells their entire life. Since they don’t produce their own shell, they need to find larger ones as their bodies grow larger. This hunt for new home happens on a regular basis throughout its life cycle. A hermit crab might be tempted to stay in its comfortable shell but it can’t because it would die from lack of space. And without a shell, hermit crabs would quickly be eaten by their enemies or perish due to a lack of protection from the elements. 

Seeking out a new home is part of a hermit crabs natural life cycle and somehow they always manage to find just the right size shell even though there is often fierce competition among the other crabs. So at just the right time the hermit crab must leave the comfort of the familiar shell and move into a larger one. Searching for the perfect shell can take days or weeks depending on the number of available shells and crab population. One thing is for sure, when a hermit crab changes shells it must let go of the old shell so that it can move into the new one.

In a spiritual sense, it takes faith to move from one place to another as we follow Christ and grow spiritually. And in order to follow Christ and move onto new things, you need to let go of the old ones. It might be scary and nerve racking, but in order to transition into something bigger or different, you must let go of what you are holding onto now.   

What do you need to let go of right now in order to move into God’s new place or position you? Is God leading you to take on a new job? If so, then you let need to step out of your comfort zone in faith to step into your God’s new place or position. Is God leading you to reconcile with someone? If so, then you need to move out of the bitterness so you can move into forgiveness. Is God leading you to start a new ministry or serve in a greater capacity? If so, then you need to let go of what’s currently comfortable in order to move into larger responsibilities. 

And what are the risks of staying where you are? Will it hinder you from growing in your faith? Will it prevent you from reaching your goals? Will it keep you from feeling a sense of fulfillment?  You need to prayerfully consider your options then faithfully trust God to help you move ahead.

“11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Following Christ always involves faith. You may feel vulnerable, to your enemies or the environment as you move out of your comfort zone, but unless you step out in faith you will never be able to embrace the bigger opportunity God has in store for you. You need to leave what’s comfortable so you can seek out and find what’s next. Will you trust the Lord to lead you to something bigger?