Prickly Ball Things

I don’t really know what else to call them.  I never really thought that much about them when I first moved here, except that they were all over the ground and they fall from some kind of tree.  They reminded me of something you might see in a Dr. Seuss book! 

But I sure thought about them the other day when I walked out onto my bedroom deck and stepped on one.  I will say that I did not use any cursey words.  I will also say that about 14 of them, however, ran through my head.  It hurt.  I’d put it on the same level as a Lego, so captivating.  Until it’s 1030 at night and your child needs a drink of water.

These little thingies from the tree remind me of how sin can sometimes be.  We see it.  Something attracts our attention.  Maybe at first we don’t think much of it.  Perhaps we think it’s interesting or different.  We get used to it being around.  We know it’s there but it’s not really that big of a deal.  And then…  

WHAM!  You misstep.  You take your eyes off of Christ and the sin has ensnared you.  You didn’t even think it was that big of a deal, but before you even realize what you’ve done, satan has sucked you into something that you know isn’t the thing that you’re supposed to be doing!

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” –1 Peter 5:8

We must be aware of our surroundings.  We must be on guard at all times.  This is why our daily Bible reading is so important.  This is also why studying scripture is key.  When we study the scripture, we know what is pleasing and honorable to God.  When the little innocent looking objects/surroundings/people come our way, we can be better equipped to recognize the dangers or missteps that can happen.  This, then, allows us to avoid them and keeps the devil from devouring!

Iron Porch, let’s begin to recognize where those pitfalls lie around us and working on keeping them at bay and our Heavenly Father right in front of us!

~Erin

P.S.  If anyone knows what these prickly ball things actually are, you can leave it in the comments!