“Shellfish…” (by Mel McGuire)

I was recently challenged by good friends to write on this subject. They sent me a video of a rabbi explaining how a lobster becomes uncomfortable in its shell as it grows and thus, develops a new shell, shedding the old one in a process called molting.

Crabs do this as well, and I used the image of a crab because quite frankly, it was easier to look at and distinguish between the old and the new. Molting is simply a process by which the old is removed so the new can take its place.

Like the lobster, the crab outgrows it shell. It becomes uncomfortable and begins to take on water so the old shell will swell. Meanwhile, the new shell, in the form of an exoskeleton, is formed underneath the old one.

Whereas the old shell is hard, the new one is soft and flexible. At some point, the process of molting begins and as the picture sequence illustrates, the old is replaced by the new. Notice however, that the new shell is larger than the one it replaced, the one it came out of.

Often God uses a similar growth process with His children. We become uncomfortable with certain areas of our life because we simply out grow them. It could be a relationship, a job, a lifestyle choice, or even a church or ministry.

Most shellfish, once the new soft skin is revealed, hide under a rock and stay there for a few weeks until their new shell is hard enough to provide protection against predators and their environment. Lobsters will eat the old shell, benefiting from the calcium it contains to speed up the hardening process of the new shell. Selah.

Instinctively, they understand that as a larger crab, they will face larger predators. And some of the predators they used to fear they can now ignore, because they have outgrown them. At the same time, places they used to fit in…they no longer can. BOOM.

As we grow in Christ, we also need to understand, “new level, new devil”, which technically is not true (the devil is the same old vile rascal), but the point being that as you mature, you must be able to deal with a different kind of spiritual attack.

You must take what you can, lessons learned for example, from the old to the new place, so you can become fully functional faster. Don’t reinvent every wheel.

As with the crab, some of the places you used to go and hide, will no longer protect you. You just don’t fit in there anymore! Don’t be afraid to hide “in the Rock” (that would be Jesus), until you are fully prepared to walk in your new station in life.

Understanding the process of molting will help us change our perspective on being uncomfortable. We will not automatically just seek to ease the pain, for doing so might stunt or restrict your growth!

God can use discomfort to prepare you for your next place. Leaders, for example, need to have thicker skin to deal with the criticism and judgment from subordinates. Sometimes the things that bother you are signs that you need to molt; shed the old and welcome the new.

Learn from the shellfish, and be willing to grow by replacing the old with something bigger, stronger, safer…something new.

Tags: lifestyle, nature, progress, relationships