Written by Pastor Jack Wellman“By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
– Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon Perseverance Quote Commentary
Snails sure are slow. Plus, they leave a slimy trail that, well, doesn’t really qualify them to be at the top of the list of most people’s favorite animals. They aren’t cute and cuddly like puppies. Nor are they regal and imposing like lions. Instead, they trudge along, day to day, minding their own business. In our daily walk of faith, we can learn quite a bit from snails. Seriously.
We all leave a trail of slime
If we took a long and honest hard look at our lives, we can see that we’ve all left a trail of slime. We are all sinners. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. It follows that along the way, we’ve left broken relationships. We’ve hurt others. We’ve burned bridges. We’ve broken promises. We’ve let people down. This is our trail of slime. But just like the snail headed to Noah’s ark, we only need to keep heeding the call and we’ll get to where we’re destined.
We all don’t respond to the call quickly
just like the snails headed to Noah’s ark, we can take our time getting to the place where God wants us to be in our lives. Maybe it is our attachment to material things, our relationships, our false pride, our faulty expectations, our irrational fears, whatever it is, we often find ourselves held back from fully heeding God’s call. In many cases, we are like the older son who repents about not doing what the Father says and ends up doing it later. The good news is that God is patient. He knows that it sometimes takes a while for us to get started. He knows that sometimes we’re late bloomers and slow starters. He waits for us in the ark as we slowly make our way to him.
God gives us second chances
Another way we are all like those snails that got to Noah’s ark is the fact that God always gives u second chances. In fact, he doesn’t just give us second chances but third and fourth chances as well. Indeed, he gives us as many chances as possible because that’s how gracious, patient, and faithful He is. Like the snail, we only need to take the second chance and keep pushing along-powered by God’s grace that he will welcome us with open arms when Jesus comes again. Don’t despair when you feel you’re moving so slowly in your spiritual walk. Be encouraged by the snails that made it to the Ark just in time.
