Life never ceases to present comical situations. Today at work I received a phone call from my wife, Erin. It isn’t unusual for her to call; however, this call was rather unusual due the hysterics coming from her end of the line. It turns out that she had spotted a rather large snake in the backyard. Furthermore, I was to drive home immediately and kill the snake, thus ensuring the safety of her and the children. Rather than leaving work in the middle of the afternoon, I suggested that she get a picture of the snake. With the picture, she and I could both try to identify the snake using the web of the wide world. She informed me that she would try, and she also said, “I think that it is sleeping, because it didn’t move. When I saw it, I screamed, so maybe I woke it up.”
After taking the picture and getting a good look at the snake, which still had not moved, she emailed me identifying the snake as a Mississippi Green Water Snake. The snakes are not venomous, but they will bite if harassed. This was kind of concerning, because my children harass any living creature they can find (except for the smallest bugs, which terrify them at times). Shortly after, she sent me a picture of the snake, which was no help to me at all, although it did help me put the size of the “large” snake into perspective. Based on the size of the snake in relation to the width of the fence boards in the picture, this was not a large snake.
I spoke with a few people at work, and decided that the easiest and most practical thing to do would be to leave the snake alone. When I called the house to inform Erin, the line was busy. While fervently praying that Erin had not called 911, a thought began to form in my mind. My next conversation with Erin would help to flesh out the idea that has become this blog post.
This is what was said when Erin next called me at work:
“Hello, this is Ron.”
“I did it. Well, actually, you did it.”
“I did what? What are you talking about? You killed the snake?”
“Yeah, I killed it. Well, it was already dead. It was all smushed.”
“So you killed it with the shovel, but it was already dead.”
“Yeah, I think you killed it when you were moving those blocks. I think you dropped one on it. I watched it for so long before I did it, and it wasn’t moving at all. But I did it.”
“Oh, good. Who did you have on the phone with you while you did that?”
“No one, why?”
“Because, I tried to call you, but the line was busy.”
“Oh, I gave the phone to Dylan and told him to call 911 if something happened to me. When I came back in he had called 222221111111.”
After that exchange, we went back and forth about the need to move the snake.
I said, “Okay, well just keep the boys inside for now and I will move it when I get home.”
“Well, it will be dark when you get home, I can get it.”
“Okay, well just get some gloves and move it to the front yard, I want to look at it and then I will throw it out.”
“Can’t it just stay there?”
“No, other animals will come and try to eat it, and the boys will mess with it. Just leave it until I get home, I guess.”
“No, I will put it in the wheelbarrow with a shovel.”
“Okay, then just push the wheelbarrow into the front where the boys can’t get to it.”
“No! There is no way I am pushing around a dead snake!”
And that is how the conversation went. And this whole episode reminded me about how we are in life with sin.
When God makes us truly aware of our sin, it convicts us. We feel grimy. We don’t want to touch it. But we can’t bring ourselves to put an end to it. Something about it traps us in fear…and maybe trap is the key word. Erin knew that the snake needed to be killed. It posed a threat (albeit a small one) to our family. But she couldn’t bring herself to kill it.
It is much the same with sin. Continuing in sin will harm our reputations and our families, but so often we cannot muster the courage to kill the sin.
When Erin finally mustered the courage to confront the snake, she found that it was already dead. Much in the same way, the believer that will confront his sin will find that the sin had no power over him in the first place. Being in Christ means we are dead to sin. Our desire to go back to sin over and over is evidence of a problem in our heart, and not evidence of the power of sin over us. Jesus Christ took care of our sin on the cross. Trusting in Him freed us from sin’s power. In the same way, Erin discovered that the snake was already dead, and held no power at all.
Unfortunately, we oftentimes find it difficult to take the next step. Once the sin is realized, the next step is to get rid of it. This is where we struggle. We let sin hang around. Erin’s first solution was that she and the boys “would never go in the backyard again.” And many times we think the same way. One says, “I have a problem with pornography, so I will never be around a computer again.” Another says, “I have a problem with gossip, so I will stop hanging around my gossiping friends.” Both of these scenarios externalize an internal problem. Sure, the man who lusts can limit his access to a computer, but can he limit his access to women who choose to dress inappropriately? A woman can stop hanging around those who helped her gossip, but can she ultimately guarantee that she will never hear gossip elsewhere? These things may be necessary guards to erect in one’s life, but they are means to an end, and not the end itself.
This is why we must get rid of sin in our life, and we must deal with it in a very real way. Leaving the snake in the backyard will only create future problems. It will demand our attention every time the boys are outside. It could attract larger scavengers, or any number of other animals. Staying inside the house forever is impractical, and in a way, giving the snake power even though it is dead. The same is true of our sin. If we do not deal with it head on and remove it from out life, it will always demand our attention, it could present larger problems in the future, or it could lock us into impractical situations.
How many times do we want to visit the same sin again? How many times do we want to worry about how it may affect our family?
When God brings a sin to your attention, deal with it! Realize it has no power over you, and get rid of it completely!
