My beagle Bo demonstrated a valuable principle over the holidays. Unfortunately, I doubt he learned a lesson from it. And, to be quite honest, I believe the lesson would probably be lost on most people as well.
Two days before Christmas while the family was upstairs, Bo ventured down into the kitchen, led by his nose to a large loaf of French bread that was apparently calling his name. I had accidentally left this temptation too close to the edge of the counter and Bo, assuming it was left for him (although I’m sure he knew better), ate it. He didn’t eat part of it; he ate the whole thing. When we discovered it was gone he still had a piece of it in his mouth. I tried to get this last piece from him, but he growled at me and wouldn’t give it up. What’s funny is that while he was guarding this last bite, he began crying from the pain of an overly stuffed stomach. For the next several hours he literally howled in pain. It was sad to see him in so much agony, but I have to admit that if I hadn’t been so sure he was dying, it would have been funny.
It struck me how we humans behave in a similar manner with regard to sin. Remember it is our nature to sin (Romans 5:12), so we are drawn to sin. If sin was initially painful like the bellyache Bo experienced, we probably wouldn’t be inclined to sin. But sin feels good like the first half of the loaf that I’m sure Bo thoroughly enjoyed. It’s not until we begin to experience the consequences of our actions that we come to realize how wrong those actions are. But by that time we’re so totally invested in our sin that its grip on us makes it hard to give it up. So like Bo, even after we begin to suffer the consequences of sin, we guard our right to be wrong to the point of committing other sins to hide our original sin.
God inspired many men over thousands of years to write down His instructions to protect us from ourselves and the temptations of the world. Without the Bible we can easily be drawn into the pleasures of sin not realizing the pain that will surely follow. God knows us better than we know ourselves. And thankfully He gave us an instruction manual to share that knowledge with all who choose to read and follow it. But like I said, the lesson Bo demonstrated would probably be lost on most people. After all, most people don’t read instruction manuals of any kind. Why would the Bible be any different?
Thom Fishow
January 2, 2011