I Know Turtles and I Know How They Think

“How do you know he was trying to go the other way?” I asked in response to Larry’s comment when a friendly and helpful neighbor was rescuing a neighborhood turtle by scooting him out of the road where he would likely have been flattened sooner, if not later. Larry’s response, “I know turtles and I know how they think!” His comment stayed with me until I could begin writing to find out what message was to be found in his comment.

Of course many of us may think we know turtles or other creatures or humans. We might even think we know how they think, and we might be correct. On the other hand, can you really know  a turtle unless you’ve been a turtle. But since you are a person, maybe you really do know something about people.

The truth is we really do know people better than we think we do. We may not know everything they are thinking or every motive behind what they do, but there are things we do know. We know that everyone needs food, shelter, clothing, and love. We know that a kind word goes along way. We know that we each react or respond based on our own experiences. We know that if we expect the best of someone, they will  rise to our expectations. We know that each person wants to love and be loved. Some people have more capacity for love than others based again on their past experiences. We know that each person has God-given gifts and talents. We also know that each person has fears and self-imposed limitations. So yes, we know a lot about people, and we know how they think. So we can use what we know to help a fellow get pointed in the right direction.

Today’s Action: Consider that you know more than you think about the people around you. They are like you in many ways. So reach out to them as you would want them to reach out to you. In other words, give what you need. If you need encouragement, give it. If you need a friend, be it. If you need prayer, pray for someone else. At the end of the day, you’re going to be happy that you did.