The Clam man

That clam again. Lying, almost drowned under all that lovely water. The shell is now completely obselete- why would the clam ever want to shut now he's used to all that water?

But then a man comes along. A big, strong man. He's carrying a sword, and has a horse bearing his armour and supplies. He picks up the little clam, scoops it out of its shell and places it in his heart.

We're not going to be lying there in the water forever. The Father wants us in his heart. There we have more protection than we ever could have from the shell, and the body nourishes us as we have need. Now we are at the heart of the warrior, as we head into the battle.

But the clam never could have found a place in that heart had he not been softened by all that water, and certainly not if he was holding onto his shell. As someone once said-

"The fight is not to obtain the peace of the Spirit. The peace of the Spirit is the preparation for the fight. The prayers are not fighting to obtain the Spirit, the Spirit is the basis for fighting in prayer."

All my springs are in you...