Lessons from a Hermit Crab

The other day, Bruce was coming to pick me up, and he took a little longer than usual. Then I got a voice note from him saying, “I’m taking a video of a hermit crab at the top of your road. I think you could write a blog about this.” He knows me so wellll and knows the little things that fascinate me LOL🤣. I really do love exploring the interconnections between our life, nature, and faith in God.

So this little crab was scuttling along with a chunk of plastic pipe for a shell. It’s not every day you see a piece of pipe moving around. By the time I got there, the crab had made it safely to the grass, out of the way of passing cars.

Hermit crabs are fascinating little creatures. They don’t have their own protective shells, so they get creative and use whatever they can find to shield their soft, vulnerable bodies. We can learn a lot from them, especially when it comes to growing, adapting, and making room for others BY RELEASING something we have.

Take What You Need, Personified.

Hermit crabs are always growing, which means they constantly need bigger shells. When the time comes to upgrade, they sometimes form these “vacancy chains” with other crabs, lining up in size order so that each crab can move into a slightly larger shell. When they do it in this way, it becomes a whole crabby community real estate event lol. In this short BBC video, sometimes a crab might not get what they're looking for, but "it's better for it to have something than be homeless", as the narrator states.

Imagine if we all approached life like that. Some tribes and communities do, but it should be the norm. Philippians 2:4 encourages us to “look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Hermit crabs operate in a way that keeps the whole community thriving, all because they know when it's time to release what no longer fits, and receive what does, from others.

Making Do When Times Are Tough

But life isn’t always that simple. Sometimes, the right shells are in short supply, and hermit crabs have to improvise. They use plastic, bottle caps, driftwood, or even broken bits of glass as temporary homes. They can be heavy or leave parts of the crab exposed—but they get the job done when there’s nothing else.

We’ve all been there, no? We all have times when we're using any makeshift shells we can find. Maybe it’s a job that pays the bills but doesn’t fulfill us, sometimes we can't afford to even have decent meals in a particular season, or maybe we're sleeping on someone's couch until we get back on our feet. These aren’t meant to be permanent solutions, but they can help us survive the moment. Philippians 4:12 speaks to this, when Paul was in prison: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.” It’s about learning to be content with what we have, even when it’s far from ideal, and trusting that God will provide in His time.

Leaving Room for Others

When the hermit crab looks out for itself, it's not carrying its old shell with it as well. It just so happens to bless another in the process. In our case, when we hoard, over-consume, or deny others opportunities, we disrupt this natural flow. We shift the balance of supply and demand, leaving others without in ways that can be drastic. It’s visible everywhere—from stock markets to real estate and beyond. Our individualistic society often pushes us to think only of our own needs, more like crabs in a bucket. But true community means looking out for one another.

And remember, generosity isn’t just about giving what we don’t need or only when we have plenty to spare. Sometimes, it’s about giving even when we’re NOT in abundance. It’s about sharing from what we have, even if it means letting go of comfort or convenience. Because when we give in times of scarcity, that’s when our impact is often most profound [SEE LUKE 21:1-4 - The Widow’s Offering].

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Don’t just let go of what’s outlived its purpose. When someone is in need, let go of what still fits you well. God will fill the gaps. So take what you need, leave what you can, even if what you can is all that you have.

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What We Can Learn from Our Shelled Friends

1. Grow, but Make Room for Others: We’re all trying to find our own fit, and there’s beauty in helping others do the same. When we support each other, everyone benefits.
2. Make the Best of What You Have: Sometimes, life hands us the equivalent of a plastic pipe instead of a perfect shell. Use it for now, adapt, but don’t lose hope that something better will come along.
3. Trust in the Seasons of Letting Go: When it’s time to move forward, don’t hold on too tightly. The things we leave behind—whether it’s wisdom, experiences, roles, or resources —can become blessings for someone else.

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_{Self-Reflection Prompts}

1. What have I not let go of that I can bless someone with? Do I have words of encouragement that can lift someone up? Do I have specific knowledge that can change someone's life? Sometimes it's not just about the physical things.
2. Are we releasing what we no longer need, understanding that it may bless someone else?
3. And are we willing to give the little that we do have (even if it still suits us), to lift someone else in need?

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