Grazing Grace

THE SNAIL & THE OLD BOTTLE

BY GREG A. LANE

While I was walking my dog one Thursday afternoon near the local cemetery, I saw part of an old bottle sticking up out of the ground underneath some shade trees. It was almost completely covered with dirt and debris. The exposed portion of the bottle looked to be very old and possibly antique, so I decided to dig it up. I was hoping it wasn’t broken or damaged in any way. After a couple of minutes of digging, I finally unearthed the bottle and was excited to find that it was fully intact.

Because the bottle had been buried for so long, it was almost completely filled with dirt. So, I stuck a stick down through the neck of the bottle to break up the clods of dirt inside. As I shook it, clumps of dirt and small pebbles began to pour out. There was one large obstruction inside that I couldn’t get out, though. I thought it was a large chunk of gravel at first and was puzzled as to how something so large could have fit through the mouth of the bottle.

I took the bottle home with me and pulled out the garden hose to begin a thorough cleaning. After squirting water into it for several minutes, all the excess dirt had been washed away. Only the large “piece of gravel” remained inside. Because it wouldn’t fit through the mouth of the bottle, I tried to grab it with my fingers to pull it out.

What I thought was a large piece of gravel crumbled between my two fingers. It wasn’t gravel at all. It was a large snail shell. How incredibly unusual it was to discover the oversized shell inside the bottle!

My mind wondered, “How in the world did a snail shell this large end up inside this bottle?” I could only come to one conclusion. There was a time long ago (when the snail was much smaller) that it made the bottle its home. It was a safe home, no doubt. No predators could get inside to harm it, and the snail was safe from the elements while inside the impenetrable walls of its new home. But, there was just one problem. Unknowing to the snail, one day it was going to outgrow the safety of its newfound home. Each day, little-by-little, the snail was growing, and its shell was growing too.

I did a little research on snails to get more information. I discovered that it takes about 10 months for a snail to reach full maturity size. The snail’s shell growth takes place through secretions in the snail’s mantle. The new growth material is added to the snail’s shell opening. So, if you want to get an idea of how old a snail is, it’s kind of like counting the rings of growth in a tree stump. There are “rings” of growth on the snail’s shell opening that can be counted (if you have the time and interest in doing so). Unfortunately for me, I had crushed the snail’s shell while retrieving it from the bottle, so I don’t know how old that snail was when it finally died.

Anyway, the shell growth is a slow process. It seemed to me that the snail would be aware of the growth and not allow itself to be trapped inside that bottle like it did. Then, I discovered one other piece of information that might have solved the dilemma. You see, a snail can go through a process called “estivation” to escape periods of extreme heat. During estivation, it can sleep for several weeks or months at a time, if necessary. When it awakens from sleep it immediately goes out to find moisture and nourishment.

So, with all this information in mind, here’s what I believe happened. There was a day when the

slow-growing snail went to sleep inside its “bottle home” for an extended period of time. Several weeks or possibly months later, after awakening from sleep, it attempted to leave the safety of its home to venture out beyond the confines of the bottle and find food. But, when it got to the mouth of the bottle to exit, just like it had done so many times in the past, it could no longer fit through the hole. It was stuck. The bottle that had once been its security and protection had now become its prison cell … a prison cell which would one day also become the snail’s coffin. What a terrible thought! So, here’s something to think about today. What if the security and protection that you enjoy in your life is actually a cleverly designed prison cell in which the enemy of your soul keeps you confined? What if that feeling of protection you have while inside the walls of your comfort zone is really a numbing anesthesia that prevents you from venturing The old bottle in which the large snail shell out to discover all that God was found. has for you beyond your own self-imposed boundaries? I know what it’s like to feel comfortable and secure. I’m not knocking it. It’s what we all seek in life. But, sometimes feelings of comfort and security actually lull us to sleep. We forget that we’re still in the process of growing and we need to be experiencing new things. What a terrible thought that our comfort zone could possibly become our coffin one day! I like the prayer of Jabez (found in 1 Chronicles 4:10) when he prayed to the Lord, “Oh that you would bless me indeed and ENLARGE MY TERRITORY.” I like that phrase “Enlarge my territory.” If we’re doing life the right way, we should be constantly growing, increasing in knowledge and understanding, and enlarging our field of influence and experiences. Stagnation takes place when we continually remain within our comfort zone. So, challenge yourself today to step outside your comfort zone. Don’t get lulled to sleep in the same old routine that you’ve been in for years. Remember the snail!