A while back, I attended a picnic at a friend’s house. As we talked, I couldn’t help but notice their little dog running around the yard. It was a tiny little thing—an adorable family dog. For most of the evening, the dog just wandered around the group sitting in the shade from time to time.
Then all of a sudden, the tiny dog jumped up and growled. Immediately, my friend yelled its name and said, “Don’t do it.”
I instantly thought, “Do what?”
My question was quickly answered as the dog ignored its owner and took off like a shot towards a fence behind me.
Then I turned around and saw what caught this tiny dog’s attention. On the other side of the fence were three humongous dogs. Next to my friend’s dog, they looked like horses! They were huge, and they looked mean. The solid iron chain and padlock on the fence told me my impression was correct.
What happened next absolutely stunned me. My friend’s petite, furry toy dog went over to the fence and tried to pick a fight with the huge dogs! He went up to the fence and scratched at them, barked at them, and tried to fight them!
The dogs on the other side of the fence went insane, trying to get at the little guy. Both owners jumped up to drag their dogs away as I watched in stunned silence at the stupidity of this little puppy.
When I commented to my friend about the little dog’s veracity, she said, “Oh, he thinks he is so bad. He thinks he is a tough guy and can take on anything. But he knows the fence is there to keep him safe.”
Then she told us how she had gone to the neighbor’s house the day before to borrow some chairs for the party. She thought the dogs were locked in the house, but there was a miscommunication. When she went into the yard to get the chairs, the dogs ran out of the house and into the yard.
You can guess what happened next. The little dog stormed at the fence, doing his usual tough guy act. However, this time, the fence was open! The big dogs came pouncing toward the little guy.
When the little dog saw this, his tough guy act disappeared and, as my friend said, “He turned and ran away like a little girl.”
As I drove home that night, I was still chuckling at the image of the dog who “thinks he is so bad” as he messes with an enemy on the other side of the fence. Then I started thinking about how many times we, as Christians, do this in our own lives.
Many times, we play around with sin in our daily lives. We toy with it. We go right up to evil and entertain it, thinking we are safe from its effects. But as the little dog learned, we don’t always know precisely how safe we are. Before we know it, our toying with sin puts us in a dangerous situation, and we must run for our lives.
Proverbs 22:5 says, “In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.”
Do you want to avoid a life of pain and heartache?
Avoid the paths of the wicked.
Stay far from them.
Don’t imitate the lifestyles of the ungodly, compromise, or even flirt with sin for a moment.
Instead, choose to preserve your life and stay as far away from sin as possible.
Take a lesson from my friend’s puppy and stay away from the edge of danger. Cling to God’s Laws and God’s boundaries. That is the only way to avoid destruction and live life to the fullest.
Adessa Holden is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God specializing in Women's Ministry. Together with her brother, Jamie, they manage 4One Ministries and travel the East Coast speaking, holding conferences, and producing Men's and Women's resources that provide practical Biblical teaching for everyday life.
When asked about herself, she'll tell you "I'm a women's minister, a sister, and a daughter. I love to laugh and spend time with people. My favorite things are chocolate, the ocean, sandals and white capris, anything purple, summertime and riding in the car listening to music. It is my absolute honor and privilege to serve Jesus and women through this ministry."
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