Turtles Eat Bread

Turtles Eat Bread

• 5-minute encounter this week

• Reminded me of Jim

• he always fed the wild animals several times a day

• When we were out somewhere, Jim would slam on his brakes anytime he saw a turtle, even with cars behind him, and he brought turtles home. Couldn’t make him understand that turtles never travel far from their birth place, and if they get dislocated, they spend the rest of their lives looking for home. He brought them home often.

So for fun, I decided to feed the turtle in memory of Jim.

• Opened the sliding glass door to the deck slowly

• Quietly stood over the turtle from the deck

• Expertly frisbeed two pieces of bread that landed just in front of his mouth

• Waited

• He ate and ate

Turtle couldn’t see me standing above him on the deck, and didn’t know that I was there and intentionally sending him nourishment.

• Wonder what he thought.

• A turtle’s brain not as big as the Hebrews’ brains in the desert when God fed them in the wilderness, but still I wonder what the turtle thought.

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Just like the Hebrews could not see God feeding them from heaven, but they saw the food:

Exodus 16:31: And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

• I did not give the turtle wafers made with honey

• but I did give him Nature’s Own Honey Wheat

As the turtle ate and I watched from behind the sliding glass door, God downloaded Scripture after Scripture to me and I tried to think of each Scripture in terms of the turtle and in terms of our lives.

For instance:

Matthew 6:11: Give us this day our daily bread.

• Just like the turtle, we have no idea where the provision is coming from in the human realm.

• We just know it is there and we are happy we have provision.

• As Christians, we don’t have to worry about where it is coming from, we know it comes from God.

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In his book entitled God’s Psychiatry, Charles Allen tells this story:

As World War II was drawing to a close, the Allied armies gathered up many hungry orphans.

• They were placed in camps in various allied countries where they were well-fed.

• Despite plenty of food and good care, they slept poorly. They were nervous and exhibited fear.

• Finally, a psychologist came up with the solution.

• Each child was given a piece of bread to hold after he was put to bed.

• Bread was to be held—not eaten.

• The piece of bread produced wonderful results.

• The children went to bed knowing instinctively they would have food to eat the next day.

• It was a security blanket

• That guarantee gave the children a restful and contented sleep.

(SOURCE: Quinton Morrow in "I am the Bread of Life" on www.sermoncentral.com)

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I didn’t know if the turtle would eat the bread or if it was even hungry.

I thought of other food I could have thrown to the turtle, but other Scriptures came to mind:

Matthew 7 and Luke 11

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father

• Luke says: give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

• Matthew says, “Give good gifts to them that ask Him.”