One year ago today, May 23, 2019, I launched My Father’s World website with my first blog post, which included the two pictures above. So, I decided to celebrate this anniversary with more turtles! Sadly, no new baby turtle pictures though. Have you ever wondered what the differences are between turtles, terrapins, and tortoises? Well, I’m not sure I know either, even after doing some research, but I’m going to attempt to share what I learned. The name “turtle” is used to refer to any reptile that protects itself with a shell, which is pretty much a modified rib cage and is part of the vertebral column. Turtles belong to the order Testudines (also known as Chelonia), and there are over 300 species of turtles.
The name “tortoise” is used to refer to a turtle that lives only on land, like the Galapagos tortoise. Tortoises have heavier and more domed shells, and they are very dull in color. A tortoise is always a turtle, but a turtle is not always a tortoise. The name “turtle,” besides being a collective term for any reptile with a shell, is also used to refer specifically to a turtle that lives in the water, so turtles have webbed feet and flatter shells for swimming. So what about terrapins? According to one source, “terrapin” is the name given to aquatic turtles in the U.K. Here in the U.S., the only thing called a terrapin is the diamondback terrapin, which lives in tidal marshes in the eastern part of the country (unless you grew up like me and you called every turtle you might find in the yard a terrapin). And then there are the box turtles (more colorful than tortoises), which don’t really live in water at all but still belong to a pond turtle family (but at least one source I skimmed referred to them as tortoises). Well, I guess that makes everything clear, right? As clear as the muddy water in which you can find some of these turtles!
Most of the species of turtles can retract into their shells when they feel threatened, and some of them close themselves off completely. Sometimes, I wish I could be like a turtle. I wish I had a literal shell into which I could retreat when I find myself in less than desirable situations. When I feel embarrassed – retreat. When I feel threatened – retreat. When I feel grief – retreat. When I feel hurt – retreat. When I realize I’ve hurt someone else – retreat. Just hide until the uncomfortable situation is over! Does anyone else ever feel this way? But, unlike turtles, which aren’t really social creatures, humans weren’t created to avoid interactions with others – even uncomfortable ones. We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), for the purpose of performing “good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) And, when we do those good works, we let our lights shine so that others can see those works and glorify God (Matthew 5:16). You can’t let your light shine inside a shell – a literal one or a metaphorical one!
The apostles didn’t retreat when faced with dangerous or threatening circumstances. They spoke boldly in teaching the gospel (lots of examples in the book of Acts). They were not turtles. The early Christians “had all things in common” (Acts 2:44) and were “praising God and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:47) They were not turtles. Dorcas was “full of good works and acts of charity.” (Acts 9:36) She was not a turtle. Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2 that we are to “bear one another’s burdens.” We can’t do that if we’re hiding in our shells. He goes on to say in Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Recently, my husband and I watched a rerun from 2018 of an episode of Undeniable, a show hosted by Joe Buck in which he interviews famous and respected athletes. (This may seem like a random thing to throw in here, but I promise to connect my trains of thought!) The guest on this particular episode was Lou Holtz, former football player, coach, and analyst (and one of his coaching jobs was at the University of Arkansas). Lou was born in West Virginia in 1937, towards the end of the Great Depression, so his family didn’t have much (just like all the other families around). He ended up starting school early, because students were needed to fill the first grade. He was younger and smaller than everyone else, and also had a lisp, so others picked on him. During his high school years, he once happened to overhear two neighbors talking about how it was a shame that his parents were going to waste their money sending him to college. With the adversities he faced as a young person, Lou could have easily retreated into a shell – like a turtle. Instead, he chose to make the most out of the difficulties he was handed, because he was taught that if he made good choices, got an education, and didn’t blame others, then positive things would happen. As a college football coach, Holtz became known for quotes like this one: “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.”
Holtz also became known for his three rules of coaching: 1) Do the right thing. 2) Do the best you can. 3) Always show people you care. In 1978, as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Lou suspended three of his top players for violating his “do right” rule – just before Arkansas was to play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. He met opposition from all sides and even ended up in court, but he stuck to his standards. He did not retreat into his shell, and the three players were not allowed to play in the Orange Bowl. (And, just in case you didn’t know, Arkansas ended up winning the game as an underdog with a score of 31-6.) Lou’s three rules of coaching are very biblical principles that should apply to all aspects of life – to guide us in performing those “good works” that allow our lights to shine.
During the Undeniable interview, Joe Buck asked Lou to talk about the difference in athletes today and athletes 40 years ago. He responded by explaining that today players always talk about their rights and privileges, but 40 years ago the focus was on their obligations and responsibilities. He stated that we need to get back to that today – to the obligations and responsibilities that we have to other people. I’ve noticed that trend – the talk about “rights” or “it’s my right” in other areas of life besides athletics, and I’m sure you have too. My ninth grade civics teacher, Ernestine Burge, once made a statement in class that has remained with me for all these years. “One person’s rights end where another’s begin.” Applying this idea isn’t always black and white, but here’s a somewhat trivial example of how it could work. I attended a high school football game one night and ended up sitting next to an extremely loud individual. He was constantly yelling – at his son on the field, at the refs, at the coaches – and his voice actually hurt my ears. I guess the yelling bothered others as well, because I think someone told him to be quiet. He responded by saying something like “I paid my money to get into this game. It’s my right to yell if I want to.” But what if he had considered that others had also paid to be at the game? Did they not have the right to enjoy a game without incurring hearing loss or without the constant annoyance of the extremely loud yelling? Lou’s statements and Ms. Burge’s statement remind me of a few more Bible verses. Paul says in Romans 12:16-18, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” He also states in Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Christ said in Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” Focus on obligations and responsibilities to others -not rights and privileges. Wouldn’t that make it easier to live in harmony? To live peaceably??
When I look at social media (Facebook, in particular) lately, I don’t see much harmony or peace, because we have opinions about everything. And we all have different ones – about political issues, medical issues, health and fitness and safety issues, religious issues, environmental issues, economic issues, and…… It’s great to have opinions, but how we express them is not always great. The many types of social media make it easy for us to share our opinions, but I think the excess use of “social media” has contributed to a decline of the “social graces” (just my opinion). We should be able to have differing opinions and discuss them without animosity (that’s a social grace), but that doesn’t happen when we express our opinions in ways that make it sound as if anyone with a different viewpoint is an idiot. Sometimes we even create animosity when trying to present what we consider to be facts, when we imply that our sources for the facts are the right ones and other sources are false. “Do not be haughty.” “Count others more significant than yourselves.”
Turtles have shells to protect them, and they don’t have to deal with the situations that arise from being social creatures – two things that sometimes make me envious of turtles. But I know that God did not create me to hide in a shell. He created me to do good works, to put others first, to live peaceably with all, so that He will be glorified. Lou Holtz didn’t come up with anything new with his three coaching rules. He just recognized the value of sound biblical principles and applied them to coaching. He also once said, “I can’t believe that God put us on this earth to be ordinary.” And, He certainly didn’t put us here to hide our lights under shells!
As we celebrate during this Memorial Day weekend, may we recognize and be thankful for all who have died while in service to this country – recognize that the sacrifices they made, while fulfilling their obligations and responsibilities, gave us the freedoms (that we sometimes refer to as our rights) that we hold dear. May we not take them for granted, and may we not trample on the rights of others in trying to obtain what we see as ours.
Well spoken and timely! Thanks for sharing this