Considering the Bait

An unexpected visitor came strolling by our garage a couple of weeks agoa turtle. He’s the first one who’s come calling at our house in a long time. And even though our kids are grown and gone now, he still caused quite a stir.

After Don spotted him, he called for me to come see who was traveling across our driveway and down our sidewalk to the back yard. When I saw that it was a turtle, I grabbed my camera and went out to see how close I could get before he retreated into the safety of his built-in house.

Of course, I pushed it too far, and he got shy. I had to back off and give him some time before he felt comfortable enough to poke his head out and survey his surroundings once again.

In the meantime, Don checked our strawberry patch that’s past season and found one lone strawberry to use as bait to entice our skittish visitor out into another photo op for me.

Before long—and after exercising extreme caution—Mr. Turtle’s head reappeared. He spotted the strawberry but didn’t move. Instead, he considered the bait for a few minutes and then for some unknown reason turned and went the other way.

Maybe he’s the one turtle in all the world who doesn’t care for strawberries or maybe he picked up a bad vibe and wanted to avoid the crazy lady with the camera. For whatever reason, he decided against taking the bait. He evidently wanted to get out while the gittin’ was good.

What about us? Has anyone been trying to get us to take some kind of bait? Trying to lure us with something that promises to be satisfying but turns into a trap?

Let’s follow Mr. Turtle’s example and not waste much time considering the bait. Let’s turn and go the other way. Let’s get out while the gittin’s good!

“So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” 1 Corinthians 10:12

*What do you do to resist temptation?

Comments

  1. Very cute story and photos, Cheryl.

  2. Thanks, Debbie — glad you enjoyed!

  3. Cheryl, this got me thinking:
    1. Is bait always bad?
    2. What is the difference between bait and a bribe?

  4. Good thoughts and questions, Jana. You’re right, we could call a promised reward “bait” in one sense of the word. And rewards are good when they prod us to do positive and good things. Thanks for adding a new twist to think about!

  5. I adore this picture! It preaches a sermon all it’s own, from so many angles. I’ll remember this the next time the enemy dangles a “strawberry” in front of me.

    peace~elaine

  6. Elaine, glad you like the picture. I started thinking of a Considering the Bait post as soon as I took it. Like you said, the picture preaches :)

  7. Hi Cheryl,

    Turtles are wonderful to catch and handle for a little while too. Some turtles we caught years ago amazed us with their uncanny ability to sense and head towards the pond, no matter which direction we impishly set them. :) May I be like that to the True Water too, huh?

    Thank you for stopping by my post and for praying with me for my friend. I join you this weekend too in praying for your great-nephew. May his heart rate slow to a healthy speed, may his condition improve drastically, and may his parents sense our Abba’s huge love for and presence around them today. Amen.

    Jennifer Dougan
    http://www.jenniferdougan.com

  8. Thanks so much for your prayers, Jennifer!

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