Have you been crab fishing lately? No, me either. Ha ha. But those little critters teach us a valuable lesson in life. Did you know that if you happen to catch a bucket of crabs you do not have fear their escape or put a lid on the bucket?

If you put one crab in a bucket, it will climb out. But if you put 2+ crabs in the bucket, when one of the crabs tries to climb out, the other will pull it back in. Neither will ever escape. It doesn’t matter that it’s possible to escape, the crabs will hold each other back from doing so. Each time a crab makes an attempt to get free, another one claws him back into the bucket.

Crabology 101 states, “If I can’t be free, neither can you.”

A while back I showed up at an event I was speaking at. People were gathering as they waited for the event to start. I could hear a little conversation around the corner. There was a person who seemed really pumped to tell people they “knew” me. That buddy buddy talk shifted quickly and turned to covert slights towards me while pumping up how great they were. I thought – no! Don’t do it – don’t crab bucket both of us! We’ll both get stuck in there!

We’ve either been there, or been there. We have been crab bucketed or we have crab bucketed.

This is a tendency we can easily adopt.

We can have a bucket list. This list is different than that one with exciting experiences we’d like to have before we die. It’s the list of people that are living life around us that press an insecurity or inadequacy button that automatically activates a spring loaded claw! That claw grabs at other people’s freedom, success, confidence, character or career.

The spring loaded claw reaches for someone we perceive is getting ahead, living with more joy or freedom, who is achieving some sort of success and so on. The root is covetousness (desiring something that is not ours) and emotional promiscuity (jealousy, a wandering heart, not being faithful to God’s intentions for our own lives).

 We need a way to deactivate this spring loaded claw.

Questions we can ask ourselves:

Who is on our bucket list? Who is in our buckets? Is there another person who we claw at either with actual words, or in the hallways of our hearts?

I think we should actually write down our bucket list. Then go through each person, and ask ourselves, what insecurity/inadequacy/jealous button do I allow to be pressed in myself – activating that spring loaded CLAW? Why do I find it hard to celebrate that person? Why do I feel devalued if I celebrate them?

That is some good ongoing reflection for us all.

The first step after reflection:
Hi, my name is __________________ and I have a claw and a bucket.

The second step:
Put down the claw, and step away from the bucket.

Then put the claw down, and pray for those people.  Speak well words about those people. Accept your own value and worth as an individual. Celebrate your gifts at the same time as those on your bucket list.

Allow those in your bucket to escape the grip your heart has on them. After you let all the people out of the grip of your crab claw, here’s the good news: you can now get out of the bucket too!! Remember, one crab on their own can get out of the bucket. But together in the bucket, they are too busy concentrating on keeping others from their freedom.

Make your bucket list, and set them free.

As you free others from that crab bucket tendency of the heart – you will then free yourself.

Its amazing how you will find peace, confidence and a new freedom when you escape the crab bucket effect. 

Romans 12: 9-19 (MSG) says some pretty great truths for us in this process.

9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. 11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. 14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody. 17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

Don't be a carbon copy, celebrate uniquely you, and other's uniqueness.