Avoid “whelks”

Ever seen an oyster shell without an oyster inside and wondered how the oyster got out? Look for a small hole in the top of the shell made by a whelk. This little ocean creature has an appendage that works like an auger. With it the whelk bores into the shell and sucks the oyster out through the hole, little by little, until it has devoured it. Don’t allow somebody’s angry outbursts or critical remarks to bore a hole in your good nature and rob you of your sunny disposition. If you aren’t careful, you can become irritated to the point where anger and bitterness begin to seethe in you. And that can be dangerous to your health. There’s a mountain of medical evidence to support the fact that certain kinds of depression are simply anger turned inward. Remember the old adage, “It’s not what you’re eating, but what’s eating you that’s making you ill.” The Bible says, “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul [emotions]” (vv. 24-25 NLT). If you’re wise, you’ll try to avoid people you find continually negative or habitually angry at life, as well as those who seem to delight in needling you. In other words—avoid whelks! John Mason wrote, “One way to be free of unwanted baggage is to take your mind off the things that seem to be against you. Thinking about negative factors simply builds them into a power they truly don’t possess. Talking about your grievances merely adds to those grievances. Attach yourself to God’s forgiveness, plan, and Word. Then watch yourself become loosed from former ‘sticky’ situations.”