Snakebit! Part 2

Last evening, I finished up with power washing the side walks.

Once again, my kids came outside to play for a little while.

Once again, my dog headed out to explore.  She had already recovered remarkably.  The swelling was gone, and all that wass left of her ordeal was two puncture wounds in the top of her snout.

I watched with some curiosity as she walked around the yard.

Suddenly, she stopped about five feet from the bush where she was struck.  She looked at that bush.  She tilted her head back and forth.

You could almost see the wheels turning.  "I want to go sniff around, but the last time I did, something really bad happened."

She walked away from the bush.

She didn't want a repeat performance.

Ah, but how hard it is to walk away sometimes.

The lure is just too great.

What if I check it out and there's nothing there to hurt me?

Can I get away with it if I don't get caught?

This time things will be different.  I have great faith.

And what usually happens?

We. Get. Burned. Again.

And again.

And again.

We oftentimes fail to learn from our experiences, and as Santayana once said, "Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."

Put in another fashion: the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting different results.

So why not change?

Why not do something different?

Why not walk away from the abusive relationship?

Why not walk away from that one more drink?

Why not walk away from that last bite of ice cream?

Why not walk away from the easy chair and exercise?

Why not walk away from spreading a rumor?

Why not turn away from depression and embrace hope?

Because it's too hard?

Of course it is.  The road less traveled can seem treacherous.  Jesus put it this way, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it." (Matthew 7:13)

But there are some things that can give us comfort along the way.

1. Jesus promised to be with us always.  You are never alone in doing something different and new.  He will walk through it with you. 

2. If you try and fail, you are forgiven.  There is no need to keep kicking yourself.  Learn from failure.  Move on.  Peter nearly drowned after getting out of the boat, but Jesus grabbed him and pulled him to safety.  The other disciples could have laughed at Peter, but they didn't even attempt to walk on water.  Peter at least experienced that thrill.

3. And speaking of that little episode: Jesus was there to catch Peter.  He'll catch you too.  Don't know exactly how, but when we fall, He's there.

Sometimes it's not easy to go against our nature.  Dogs love to sniff around bushes, but I know at least one who learned.  She didn't head back.  She walked away.

Can you?