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Several years ago, newspapers carried a story about an elderly lady who lived in the Big Cypress Swamp in South Florida. Her home was an old shack located by a small pond. Every day the lady went out to the pond to draw water.
In the pond lived an alligator. Despite the danger, the lady allowed this alligator to live in the pond for years. It seemed tame. She didn’t bother the gator and the gator didn’t bother her.
However, one day while she was drawing water from the pond, the gator swam under the water and then plunged up, grabbing the old woman’s hand with his mighty jaws. She tried pulling her hand out of his mouth, but the gator ripped it off. Bleeding profusely, the terrified and stunned old woman crawled back to her shack and called for help. Paramedics finally arrived and she received medical attention.
The next day, the park ranger found the alligator in the pond and killed it. When they cut the alligator open, they found the old woman’s hand.
The park ranger told reporters, “Alligators are most dangerous when they lose their fear of humans. By allowing an alligator to remain in your pond, you unknowingly give it the courage to attack.”
The lady still lives in the swamp. But there are no longer any alligators in her pond.
Where to Take It from Here...
Scripture clearly teaches us that the wages of sin is death. Yet too many times, we think we can keep sin in our lives and not suffer the consequences. Eventually it will take a bite out of us.
The writer of Hebrews warned that we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. If we don’t, it will handicap us and do damage to the cause of Christ.
What are the alligators living in your pond?