Lion's teeth

Ecclesiasticus 21:2 Flee from sins as from a snake; for if you approach sin, it will bite you. It's teeth are lion's teeth, and can destroy human lives.

I love the way sin is compared here to a wild animal. In Biblical times, people had a healthy respect for wild animals, but you here more and more stories these days about people who have tried to befriend them, insisting that things are safe, only to end up paying dearly for it. I've heard stories about alligators, lions and tigers, and then there's "Grizzly Man" who spent summers roaming with the bears in Alaska. A documentary was made about him after he was killed by a bear. People forget these are wild animals, and that it only takes one bad event to lose a limb or your life.

I think a lot of people look on this notion of sin as just taking the fun out of life, as the idea that everything that's fun is wrong, and keeping away from "sin" ruins the enjoyment life offers. Sin, in my book, is whatever dislodges God from center stage, and the reason we are warned away from such things is the potential they carry to destroy lives, just like wild animals can do. The change happens when you think you can control the animals -- or the behavior -- and find that instead, it is controlling you. Take the example of using alcohol or drugs. Many people can do these things responsibly, but others fall into an abyss that often takes their families with them. The problem for young people is they don't know yet which category they belong to, and probably won't know that they've slipped into the destructive category until a lot of damage has already been done. It's like people playing with wild animals, not realizing the power the animal possesses to harm them. The sin, whatever behavior is involved, has moved from being the sideline in my life to the main event, without my even noticing or really being aware. Sometimes great efforts are expended, as in the case of drugs or alcohol, to get the person to realize how much the behavior is affecting the family and others close to him or her. That may prompt a change of direction, a repentance which literally means turning around, or the behavior may continue unabated leaving more destruction in its wake.

So what is the temptation in my life, the behavior, the sin that could threaten the role of God as central to my life? I suspect for me it's pride, the sense of self-sufficiency that says, "I can handle this, I can figure it out myself," until I find myself in over my head having lost that connection to God as the source, the one in charge of my life, and I find myself scrambling to regain it. Better for me to recognize my need of God on a daily basis through the nurturing of practices such as this one.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for this practice and how it keeps me connected to my need for you, your role as my guiding star. Help me nurture that connection by laying before you all the circumstances of my life, asking for your love and guidance. Amen.