Don't Let The Bear Settle In

Christine Hauser in an article for The New York Times titled “Black Bear, Uninvited, Moves Into California Man’s Crawl Space,” writes…

“When Ken Johnson of Altadena, California, noticed bricks scattered under his house and the crawl-space frame torn apart, he suspected a raccoon or maybe a stray dog. But when he installed a camera, he woke up one morning to a shocking discovery: a 550-pound black bear had moved in. Not for a visit. Not for a night. It had settled in.

For more than a week, Johnson heard the bear’s heavy breathing and dragon-like hissing through a vent beneath his kitchen floor. He watched it stroll down the sidewalk like it owned the place. It rummaged through his garbage, dragged bricks around, and made itself increasingly at home. He tried everything to send it packing—leaf blowers, air horns, blasting music, even running the washing machine on spin cycle.

Nothing worked. The bear grew more comfortable, not less. Experts told him the real danger wasn’t the bear’s presence—it was allowing it to remain long enough to believe the crawl space was its den. Once that happened, getting it out would be far harder and far riskier.”

It’s a striking picture of how sin takes hold in our lives. Not all at once, and not always with obvious danger. A small compromise here. A quiet resentment there. A habit that begins with a shrug.

At first, it seems manageable—even harmless. But left unchallenged, it begins to rearrange the interior of our lives, much like that bear rearranged the bricks beneath Johnson’s house—slowly, persistently, one brick at a time, until it has made itself at home. And that is the danger of tolerated sin. What we tolerate today can become what controls us tomorrow.

The things we allow to remain in our hearts don't simply stay where we put them. They begin to move things around. They weaken our convictions, crowd out God's Word, diminish our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and create distance between us and the Lord. And once something settles in, it doesn't leave easily. That is why Scripture calls us to deal with sin and spiritual clutter before they become comfortable in our lives.

The writer of Hebrews said, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1) It is a call to remind us to deal with anything that does or might hinder our ability to be faithful people for God. Don’t let the “bear” settle in!

Deacon Election… is scheduled for Sunday, October 18th. And as is our custom, on that day we will select 12 men from the list of candidates. Today you will see a list of the men that have been nominated and interviewed, all of which are qualified to serve in this position of service and leadership.

Minister of Young Adults and Families… As I mentioned a couple of columns ago, next Sunday our Staff Committee will bring a recommendation that we bring on our team a man who we believe is called to this significant position. I’ll introduce him then, but in the meantime be praying for him and his beautiful family as they make this ministry transition. And remember, God is always trying to take us someplace new. I love being your Pastor!

For God’s Glory Alone,
Pastor Ray

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