Is what worked in the past not working for you now? Maybe it’s a job you’ve outgrown, or a relationship you need to re-examine, or a method you need to change. Regardless of what it is, don’t become so settled that you can’t let go and move on when you need to. They say the hermit crab looks for a shell that fits him, and lives there until he outgrows it. At that point he has to scurry along the ocean floor and find a bigger one – a process that repeats itself throughout his entire life. So, here’s the question: are you clinging to something that no longer fits you just because it’s easy and familiar? David said, ‘You…freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was in distress’ (Psalm 4:1 AMPC). You must be willing to move out of your comfort zone and deal with a little ‘distress’. That’s what makes you grow. Patience and persistence are admirable qualities, but they don’t work in situations you’ve outgrown. Instead of ‘hanging in’ and trying harder, at certain points in life you have to stop and ask yourself, ‘Is this situation good for me?’ If you’re not sure, ask God for ‘an understanding heart so that [you] can…know the difference between right and wrong’ (1 Kings 3:9 NLT). And when He tells you what to do – do it – even though at first it won’t feel comfortable. When God says it’s time to move on, it’s because there’s another shell out there designed to fit you even better.
