Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.
Early October a year ago, Nathan and Brooke with Silas and Judah came up for a visit. One of the things we did was to go up into the Blackwater River State Forest to a trail I knew that leads to bluffs overlooking a creek. Bluffs nearly 30 feet tall, as much as 50 feet over the creek, may be the norm in large parts of the country, but in Florida they are nearly unique. It was a fun morning of playing on the cliffs, exploring the area, and racing sticks down the creek. When we first got to the trail-head, knowing that my nephews were city boys, I explained to them that this was a wild forest. There could be dangerous animals, especially snakes, and so they should stay behind me as we hiked the trail. "If I stop, you stop." Their mother strengthened my words a bit, the boys agreed and off we went to a fun morning.
This past June, I was able to host Silas and Judah for nearly a week. A couple of times we took forested hikes. I repeated my warnings to my brilliant, but city-bred nephews. This time, however, Judah responded with, "You said that last time we were here and there weren't any snakes," as if a little impatient with his overly cautious uncle. Despite saying that, Judah stayed behind me as we hiked and did as I asked. Judah did display an ignorance of some harsh realities that exist in the wild, though. Any country boy will tell you that you can stumble around in the forest 99 different times and never see a venomous snake. Most wild things, including snakes, will avoid people if possible. However, on that 100th time, when the snake doesn't hear you coming in time, or is cornered by some landscape obstacle and you blunder closely enough to scare the snake, he will strike. If venomous, you will die, or get very ill with possible life-long effects. It only takes once. That is why, every time one walks across a field, or hikes through the forest it behooves him to keep his eyes out for snakes.
Our enemy is called a snake (Gen. 3, Rev. 12:9) and a hungry lion (1 Pet. 5:8) -- why else is he roaring? If I am on a hike where either of those animals are possible to be, I am keeping my eyes open and my head on a swivel. And certainly, if I see the danger, I will not get close and try to pet the snake! We are repeatedly admonished to flee from sin and temptations (1 Cor. 6:18; 10:14; 2 Tim. 2:22). To flee from it, we must have our eyes open and know where those temptations are. Once found, we stay away! It only takes one time getting bit to ruin our spiritual lives, and perhaps our physical lives as well. God forgives, but earthly consequences remain and the temptation to repeat something one discovers he really enjoys is often greater than the original curiosity. Once bitten by the snake, one's life is never the same.
Keep your eyes open every time you hike into the spiritual wildness of this world!
1 Tim. 6:9,11 "But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. . . But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
Lucas Ward
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