Crabbing on Bells Creek

The trap emerged slowly, in stages. The topmost bars of the cage were at last visible through the murky water. Pulling it up from a kayak was an ungainly operation. Finally, the last of the water cascaded off and its contents gazed at me, all of us equally astonished to see each other. The two Blue Crabs, named for their bright blue claws, were no doubt fearful of the ultimate outcome of our encounter.

To crab along the rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay one first needs a crab pot. This is a cage with a volume sufficient for a dozen or so crabs. Enticed there by bait of some type, they enter and then find their exit impossible due to their physical limitations. It is almost effortless to bait the trap and cast it into the water. So to have captured crabs so easily lifted my spirits. It was perhaps the most hopeful I had felt since setting out on a difficult move to a remote part of Virginia from the other side of the country. While moves in general are never without glitches, this one had taken the wind from my sails many times.

The boggy creeks of the Tidewater region remind us that life is full of unexpected difficulties. Never assume that your plans will turn out as you expected. But the rewards of struggling through the muck are many. Stronger, better equipped, and more mature Christians are the ultimate result of overcoming daily struggles.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 6:23