Snappy

We were traveling home from a graduation open house in Cable, Ohio yesterday and along side the road we spotted a turtle.  I slowed down and poitned it out to the kids and my middle, Ethan, wanted badly to stop and take a closer look and try to get it off the road.
I turned the van around and found a driveway near the site and we scrambled out of the van and headed to see little snappy.  He was not so little either, his carapace (shell) was about a foot in diameter and he had some serious claws.  There was algea growing along it's back which showed it was used to living in water and was somehow displaced.  I tried moving it along from the back end with my foot but it would not budge.  Normally I would have felt brave enough to pick it up and move it into the grass, but its head kept lurching out trying to scare us off...it worked.  I took a few pics with my phone and we hustled back across the county route and into the air conditioned van.
Ethan was sad that it was so close to the road, he was near tears as we pulled away thinking about that poor snapper getting struck along the road.
It made me think of how God must feel when we are on the brink of darkness as we think about sinning, are sinning or have sinned and are hiding from His presence.  He really wants to move us to safety but he won't move us against our will.  He may even nudge us in the right direction, but still we have to move as well to actually get there.
God is a gentleman and will not push us against our will.  Yet how his heart must break as we sit so close to descruction for He knows the pain it will cause, He knows the recovery will be long and drawn out.  God sees us along the side of the road, he stops and helps, it's up to us to walk it out.
Thank-you Lord for allowing me to see your heart through the short visit with snappy.