Since my family is coming over this afternoon for Saturday coffee time (to help Kyle celebrate his 17th birthday), I thought I’d better vacuum my floors. As I was vacuuming the basement family room, I noticed Marshmallow, our precious family dog, warily watching from a distance. She has a bad history with vacuum cleaners.
Several years ago she had a run-in with a vacuum that she just doesn’t want to repeat. I was industriously vacuuming under Kyle’s bed one day, and I didn’t realize that Marsh was innocently taking a nap under it. To make a long story short, I sucked up her tail and she yelped like I’ve never heard since! We were able to pull most of her tail out of the power nozzle, but ever since then she really HATES vacuum cleaners!! In fact, she usually runs to another room as soon as I start it up. I was actually a little surprised that she was staying in the same room this morning until I realized that Kyle was hollering for her to come upstairs. (“Hmmmm…take my chances with the vacuum by mom, or endure whatever Kyle has for me…”)lol
It made me think of how pain can often be a good motivator to keep us away from evil (I’m NOT calling vacuum cleaners evil!), and of how aware we need to be to the temptations we struggle with. So often it begins innocently enough - a small enticement sweetly whispering in our ear -- but then it just sucks us in.
God is pretty clear about how we are to be aware of Satan’s presence lurking around us. I Peter 5:8-9 reminds us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”
One of the beautiful things about God is that He doesn’t just holler out a warning to us without offering a solution -- a way out -- as well. Listen to His words of encouragement and hope. “And the God of all grace…will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever, Amen.” (I Peter 5:10-11) Wow! Let those words soak in! God, Himself, will make us strong and steadfast. We are able, with His strength, to say “no” to any temptation we face. God’s strength will also give us the energy we need to run from Satan and his lies.
(Oh, the lessons we learn from our pets! Who knew?!)
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