It all happened so fast. One day, they seemed perfectly happy, obviously in love. The next . . . one was gone! And then, mysteriously, the other was gone as well. Flash and Bang, the two snails I had recently purchased for my pond, were nowhere to be found. I was frantic.
These two snails were just right for the task of keeping the pond clean, and I shelled out $5.00 each for them. They took to the pond right away, moving about to eat whatever the fish left them. I should have known when I found them locked in a snail embrace that they could never be content with my mere fishpond. Perhaps they resented being moved from the pet store like so much freight. In any event, they were soon ex-cargo.
I called the pet store owner to see if snails were prone to leave the pond. He assured me that these were not land snails and that they would soon die in the heat if they left the water. Gently, he speculated that some bird may have committed fowl play and made off with them. Or perhaps a neighborhood cat (of which there are several suspects) may have made a grab for them. He inquired whether my pond was sufficiently unkempt for them to have enough to eat. (Of course it was! Why else would I need snails?)
Finally, he really didn’t have an explanation for the missing snails. I told him I was considering putting posters around the neighborhood, but could I get them up fast enough? For days my whole family was looking through the yard for a shell or a slime trail, anything that would explain what had happened to Flash and Bang. But the search dragged to a crawl. How could they know how much I missed them? I could send a snail mail, but where?
Then suddenly, a shell! Just inches from the pond, there it was! I knew in a flash it was Flash! And then, bang! Just inches away, it was Bang! Like Adam & Eve in the garden, they hid under a plant. Apparently, Bang had made his/her escape on a dark and stormy night. Flash set off to find his/her true loves. (Snails have both genders, so this is not some PC speculation.) But were they alive? Back to the pond they went. They were gone in a flash, and bang! They were still in loves!
For now, they seem content to go about sucking up slime and, not infrequently, playing “Footsie” with each other. I have noticed some baby snails creeping about. Could it be? Perhaps a snail’’s pace isn’t so slow after all.
Now if I, in my limited way, could be so concerned for a couple of snails, how much more is God concerned about us when we go astray? Jesus’ story of the Good Shepherd, who goes in search of the lost sheep, shows intent. But for Jesus to die so that we might live goes way beyond shepherding. How amazing that each one of us is so valued that God would make that sacrifice. Yet we want to crawl off in our own little shell and hide under the bushes. We think that their shade will protect us forever.
In our quest to be ourselves, we blunder into danger. God sees where our paths lead before we do. By grace, God looks for us before we look for God. Some of us would rather die than be found. Some of us do. But for those who reach out for help, God is there in a flash. And bang! Life is worth living again.
Rev. Dennis P. Levin