Comfortable and Casual
“Snake on the left.”
The phrase was stated with so little emotion and emphasis it took my brain a few seconds to transition from the pleasant conversation Jason and I were involved in to his casual warning. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing casual about a snake on the path! Had I been the first to spot the long, writhing critter, the entire scene would have played out much differently (and probably more comically). But Jason, being the matter-of-fact man he is, walked right on by with a quick, unimpressive warning thrown over his shoulder.
Naturally, once my brain finally made the connection between his words and their meaning, I stopped dead in my tracks and surveyed the trail floor. Sure enough, a long black snake meandered his way down the path, heading in the direction opposite of us. Now, I know black snakes aren’t poisonous, but that still didn’t stop me from giving him plenty of room as I inched past his slithering form, my entire body shaking in “the creeps” as I resumed my hiking pace to catch up with Barnabas and Jason.
As far as I know, Barnabas never even noticed the snake, which is probably a good thing. Who knows what he would have done to it? Jason, on the other hand, completely dismissed it. “It’s just a snake.” Just a snake!!!! In his mind, it was no big deal. In my mind, however, every snake—no matter its color or size—is scary and dangerous and to be avoided at all costs.
The ordeal left me pondering how often we look at sin in our lives and say, “It’s just a little sin.” How casually do we dismiss things we know are wrong because it’s part of the world in which we live? It’s just a little lie. Just a one-time affair. Just a curse word. Just a guilty pleasure. I’m afraid we’ve become so accustomed to sin that much of it doesn’t even gain our attention anymore. It passes through our homes, our marriages, our lives, and our churches unnoticed and unconfronted. What once made us cringe is now an everyday occurrence. Why? Because we’ve grown comfortable and casual with sin, treating it like it’s no big deal.
But it is a big deal. It’s such a big deal that Jesus had to die to save us from it. Each sin, no matter how harmless we claim it to be, had to be paid for, and Jesus was the only one who could do it. He loves enough He was willing to leave everything and give His all for us. That, my friends, is a big deal.
So, the next time we view sin, let’s take it seriously and deal with it accordingly. It’s time to stop glossing over what’s wrong and stand up for Jesus. Not only that, but we also need to warn others, and I’m not talking about a casual word over our shoulder. I’m talking about confronting them and telling them like it is. Speaking the truth in love. And teaching others to do the same.
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. ”
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