The Sunday Sermonette – Crabbing. A Lesson Learned.
It always began just before dawn. Dad would nudge me and say, “Rise and shine, son. It’s time.” Thus began one of my favorite childhood memories. “Hooray!” I squealed. “We’re going crabbing!”
The day before, Mom gave me a shiny quarter and told me to bike to the nearby mom-and-pop grocery. That quarter bought a Nutty-Buddy, a Barq’s Root Beer, and chicken necks. At home, we set the necks in the sun until morning. Why? Crabs eat anything—the ranker, the better. At dawn, we tied the necks to our nets, packed the family Rambler, grabbed a shoe box of Mom’s biscuits and grape jelly, and set out. Our adventure began.
In the Fifties, grand homes and hotels along Highway 90 had piers reaching far out into the tawny-brown waters of the Gulf of Mexico. But our favorite was the pier at the WWII U.S.O. Dance Pavilion, where the Hard Rock Casino now stands. I remember the old pier’s salty smell and its creaks with every wave. Tying our nets to the pier’s railings, we cast them out. Then we waited.
For an inquisitive, impatient boy of seven, the waiting was agonizing. At last, Dad said, “Son, let’s see what we’ve got.” Like a Jack-in-the-Box, I was on the job. Pulling up the net, I squinted to see its contents. Slowly, it came into view, and inside it, blissfully munching on a chicken neck proud as a king, was a crab. Not just any old crab, but a beaut!
I still can see the crab’s brilliant cobalt blue shell, its claws dipped in tangerine. Once Dad plopped the crab into a bucket, its stemlike eyes stared at me; I stared at them. I taunted the crab with my index finger; it taunted me with fearsome claws. “Son, keep your fingers out of the bucket and away from the crab,” Dad warned. Each time we pulled up the net, a huge crab, with snapping claws, greeted us. And each time I would taunt it. And each time, my patient father said, “Son! Stop doing that! You’re gonna get pinched!” However, my Dad’s warnings fell on deaf ears.
Suddenly, one extra-large brute of a crab with an extra-large claw put a vice-like grip on my little index finger. Knuckles cracked. Flesh broke. Blood flowed. In a flash, Mom grabbed screaming, crying me, as Dad grabbed the crab. It refused to let go of its youthful prize. Dad quickly smashed the crab’s shell with his fist, and the offending claw released me. Now, sixty-eight years later, when I see a bucket of crabs, I give it and its feisty, clicking inhabitants a wide berth.
When I think about that crab and Dad’s warnings of disaster, I realize the lesson he was teaching wasn’t just about crabs—it was about listening, trusting, and obeying those who cared for me. Dad’s warnings mirrored Father God’s warnings to His people, which were intended to guide and safeguard them. Not heeding them, though, had its consequences.
God warned Adam and Eve not to eat the “apple” in the Garden of Eden. They did, which led to their banishment from the Garden and death. God told Noah to build an ark, to protect him and his family from a coming flood; one intended to rid the earth of humanity’s wickedness. Noah did, and he and his family were saved. The Old Testament Prophets frequently delivered God-given warnings to the Israelites about their idolatry, prejudices, and rebellion. These warnings, often laughed at and ignored, included calls to repentance and promises of restoration for those who heeded them.
In the New Testament, John the Baptist warned of the coming judgment and the need to repent. Matthew highlighted the narrow footpath leading to life versus the broad highway leading to destruction. Paul cautioned the Galatians against rejecting the true gospel and the Corinthians against their corruption and immorality. Revelation warns about the End Times and urges faithfulness amid persecution and deception.
My dear father constantly warned me about the crabs. His warnings were meant to protect me because he loved me. God’s warnings are the same. Heeding my father’s warnings would have spared me much pain. Likewise, responding to God’s warnings will do the same for us. As Proverbs teaches: “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not loathe His reproof; for the Lord disciplines the one He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.”
Ponder this and go forth.
