“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…” Hebrews 12:1b
On walks with Scooby, I always hold the leash tight. If my puggle happens to see a bunny, he’s off. No thought. Just reaction. I am surprised he doesn’t have doggie whiplash because many is the time I’ve had to rein in him from a bunny sandwich.
A few weeks ago, Scooby saw a bunny and took off so quickly and forcibly the leash slipped out of my grip. Within seconds, he was out of eye shot. I walked around an apartment building into a parking lot calling his name. Nothing. Then I heard a little whimper. I looked in the direction of the sound, down a long line of the backs of cars. Between a pair of them, I saw Scooby’s nose. As I neared him, I found him whimpering, no bunny in sight. In fact, his leash was tangled up around the tire of a car.
When I read this part of verse 1 from Hebrews 12, I think of Scooby all tangled up after hounding that bunny. The lure of the chase called to him and off he went, only to find himself wedged and whimpering.
Sin does that to us, doesn’t it? We chase after our desires without any thought to the consequences, only to end up wedged in and immobile.
Faith requires action. But chasing the adventure of where our faith may lead is much more difficult than following our carnal whims.
Every morning I have to make a decision. The easy route that lures me like a bunny sandwich is the choice to stay on the couch, eat a donut and slip into mindless TV. The other path requires me to put on my walking shoes and take off. My faith in God assures me that putting in the time to get my body healthy will result in His blessings and the freedom to experience more of life. But to get there, I have to throw off the temptation, the laziness that would love to hinder my progress. Otherwise, I will end up entangled in exhaustion and more bad news at the doctor’s office.
When I found Scooby tangled up, I laughed at my dog and then crawled under a car to unwrap the leash from the tire. He can’t help chasing those bunnies, but I have the power to say no to mine.
1 comment:
Great devotional, Robbie. Love the title.
Our neighbor's dog jumped our wooden fence once too often. He got his leash caught on a fence slat and nearly hung himself.
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