One hot, summer day 4,5 of us boys were trudging through the woods, looking for adventure, as was our custom---sometimes more than we bargained for. Joey saw it first: a round, black object lying on the ground. "Looks like a black hubcap," said Joey as he reached down to turn it over... "Whoa," I shouted, "It might be a radioactive piece of a meteorite!" (in those days, little boys knew lots about radioactivity hehehehe).
THEN, THEN, IT MOVED! At least its ugly head---gliding out like a snake---sizing up the disturbance. And not too happy about it, either. It was an full-sized snapping turtle. We did have one advantage right away: we could OUTRUN it. Forget it, we were not running yet. Our curiosity had been sparked. We got a long stick and put it right in front of its nose. CRUNCH! It bisected the stick. Then we got a stick the size of a broom handle. CRUNCH! And without effort. One more try---a stick the size of an axe handle. CRRRRUNCH! A little tougher. But he broke it into two pieces. Just think what Mr. Snapper could do with a finger, a toe, a hand, a nose, an ear? So why try feeding the turtle? He might get lucky! Since we didn't know anybody who wanted some 'turtle soup,' we said, "Enjoy your afternoon lunch, Mr. Ugly." We vamoosed, leaving Mr. Ugly to himself. Some kinds of curiosity are just not productive. Have you ever been curious about the snappingability of sin?
"Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?"
Prov 6:27,28.
"A prudent man sees danger
and takes refuge,
but the simple keep going
and suffer for it."
Prov 22:3.
"He who digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit he has made.
The trouble he causes recoils on himself;
his violence comes down on his own head."
Psalm 7:15,16.
Tempting a snapping turtle was unwise. I learned after that experience that they are extremely aggressive and can strike (akin to a snake) by lungeing off their very powerful back legs. He must have been feeling lazy that day! Also, tempting sin is a bad idea. It can 'strike' you unawares.
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