Baiting Turtles

My children are still trying to fish in the back yard.  They go out there almost every day and throw some food or the other into the pond.  The turtles have a kind of Pavlovian response now...they come swimming every time Maggie approaches the water's edge.  They feed them hotdogs, bread, old fruit.  Whatever we have on hand becomes turtle food.  The problem with this is that when they want to fish - for actual fish - the turtles come over, thinking that a free meal is on hand.  It's impossible not to snag a turtle or two in the process.  One would think that the little guys would wise up to the hook, but they haven't.  Somehow two and two don't equal four for them.  If it were me, I would begin to put this together: food on a line equals a hook in the cheek.  We are on a catch and release program with them now. 

All of this has me thinking about bait.  Almost anything at all can be bait.  I've seen people fish with everything from white bread to filet mignon, from shiny aluminum to squishy rubber.  Apparently fish (and turtles) aren't too discriminating.  But along those lines, neither are we.  When I think back in my life and reflect on the moments when I've "taken the bait" that was dangling in front of me, I am embarrassed.  Just this morning, an incident occurred that got me to thinking about how we react to offense.  I also wonder how many times we think we are being offended when the other person has no intention of causing pain whatsoever - they are utterly clueless about the offense. 

Jesus Himself tackled this issue in Matthew 18:7-9.  "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!  If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."  In verse 7 alone, the word "skandalon" is used three times.  This word refers to bait...and more specifically to the trigger that snaps the trap shut when the bait is taken.  Jesus is warning us not to take the bait of offense.  He is letting us know that taking that bait is bad but that setting that trap is terrible.  

John Bevere wrote a wonderful book that everyone should have in their library!  It is called, quite frankly, The Bait of Satan.  I found a great review online at the following link:
http://www.bloomingthorn.com/pages/read/review-of-the-bait-of-satan-by-john-bevere

In our maturity, we are called to walk out our lives alongside of other humans.  There are bound to be offenses, but the way we handle these situations determines our Christ-view on relationships.  What is more important?  My feelings? or my eternal soul?  And shouldn't I be handling the relationships in my life in a way that reflects the grace offered by God Himself through the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ?  I think we all know the answer to this, but it's really hard to see the priority when we are caught in the stuff.  I just need to remember that God will never call me to be responsible for another person's actions.  He will always call me into responsibility concerning my own behavior. 

I think those turtles in the backyard are idiots.  Why can't they see the hook?  Are they only looking for the food without concern to their "mortal" flesh?  This line of questioning causes me to step back, though.  Am I not seeing myself in these senseless creatures?  Do I not take the bait as easily?

I pray that God will do such works of grace in each of our lives that we become mature individuals who weigh everything against the Redemption of the Cross.