Day 118- A Surprising First

Today I was driving down the road toward Brooklyn.  This Brooklyn is in Alabama (about 12 miles from where I live) and is significantly smaller than Brooklyn, New York.  As I'm driving along, something comes out of the weeds that are growing on the shoulder of the road.  There is a very slim shoulder here that drops off into a ditch.  What do you think I almost hit when it came out suddenly into the road in front of me?  You can stop here and guess if you'd like.  So, I see something coming out of the weeds. You know how your brain starts trying to figure something out in just a split second.  The first thing I remember registering is that it was dark. It's like my brain says no to dog, cat, rabbit, etc.  Then, it registers with my brain and mouth at the same time and I yell, "Whoa, alligator in the road!!"  Literally, I yelled it out. I'm not sure who I was yelling to, but some things are just worth yelling about.

That's right, an alligator came out in front of me and I had to jerk the car pretty quickly to not hit it.  It was a nice size gator; probably 7 feet or so.  At the time, it seemed like it was 25 feet.  I glanced in the rear view mirror and saw that it turned around and went back into the tall weeds (tall meaning they were taller than the gator was) and down into the steep ditch. He did not seem to be in any hurry.  My mind started racing about a "first."  This is a great opportunity for a "first."  I thought of stopping and trying to take a picture of the gator, hitting the gator with a stick, or trying to touch the gator with my hand.  All of which would necessitate me stopping the car, turning around (which there was no room to do for a quarter of a mile or more) and then following the gator down the ditch into the weeds.  All of these sounded like adventurous "firsts."  None sounded wise.  So, for my "first," I saw an alligator come out in the road right in front of me and I chose not to chase him into the weeds and ditch.  I chose not to follow.

I sort of hated to end the "first" with just seeing the gator in the road.  All of the other possibilities stood a very good chance of an unhappy ending.  I do watch Swamp People on TV and would love to go alligator hunting with Troy Landry and then go to his house for supper.  Charging through weeds into a ditch armed with a cell phone to take a picture did not seem to be a great idea.  I asked the kids about it and Hannah Grace said no chasing gators and Joel said go for it.

 

 

This was a surprise. I did not expect to see a gator on the road today.  This reminded me that Satan often attacks when we are not expecting it.  That's why the Bible says in Ephesians 6: 10-11, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. "  He loves to attack when we are most vulnerable.  Some of those times include when we don't expect it, when we are tired, frustrated, stressed, or right before we are on the verge of a significant breakthrough with the Lord.  We need to make sure everyday that we are strong in the Lord and dressed in His spiritual armor.  We are no match for Satan, the world, or the flesh on our own.   I have no business chasing a gator with a cell phone or fighting temptation in my own strength.  I'm no match for the devil and he is no match for Jesus.  Be strong in the Lord, my friends, be strong.  I think I'll go watch Swamp People now in the safety of my recliner.

Dressed for the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. A safe trip
2. Delicious alligator meat (blackened with hollandaise sauce)
3. Victory in Jesus