The Alligator’s Tail

I have a dear friend who lives in Florida, and occasionally I visit her. She lives in a lovely home surrounded by a golf course, small lakes, nature trails, and some very memorable wildlife. Perhaps the most impressive to me are the alligators that can be seen throughout this area. The alligators spend most of their time in the lakes, but they often warm themselves on the land during the day. The one in the picture was sunning itself behind her house. It actually appeared quite harmless, and I wanted to get a bit closer to it for a photo. My friend warned me that contrary to popular thinking, an alligator can move in short bursts up to 30 mph on land, and she cautioned me to be careful! While the alligator was as still as could be, I chose to heed her warning, so I kept a safe distance while snapping the photo.Alligators and sin have several similarities. Both can appear harmless much of the time, especially when viewed from afar. Since I was not directly interacting with the alligator, I felt safe, but like the alligator, sin’s deception runs deep. Barely visible beneath the water’s surface, an alligator patiently waits for its prey. When the moment is right, it strikes out and grabs its prey, dragging it downward to its eventual death. Sin is as cunning as the alligator. It lurks around me all the time, and many times I am unaware of how close it is to me until I am caught in its strong grip!

Research shows that an alligator’s bite exerts an average of 2,500 pounds per square inch! (Lions and tigers have a bite force of about 1,000 psi, while humans have a bite force that ranges from150 to 200 psi.) When an alligator bites, it also holds on to its prey, and it is nearly impossible to get it to release it. Sin is like that! Its hold on us is unimaginable, and once it does have a firm hold, it refuses to let us go!

Tampering with sin is like sneaking up on a basking alligator and touching its tail just to see what it feels like! It only takes a second for it to turn and clamp its jaw tightly on a person’s arm, and once in its clutches, escape is nearly impossible. To be safe from the gator, simply stay away… far away!

That’s how it should be with sin. It is so much easier to stay away from sin than to break free of it, but unfortunately, that just isn’t always the case. Sometimes the urge to touch that gator’s tail is too tempting. Unlike the alligator’s bite, when sin rears its ugly head and is ready to snap its jaws on us, we do have a way of escape. We can turn to Christ.

Jesus Christ is our protector. He died on the cross for us, becoming victorious over sin and death. When a person receives God’s Son as Saviour in his or her life, along with the forgiveness for sins, that individual also becomes empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to resist, fight, and break free of sins that continue to surround and plague us through our earthly life.

The next time find yourself in a situation where sin is inviting you for a closer look, draw upon the power of God’s Spirit and step away… quickly!

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13