*Photo Credit: Oleh Slobodeniuk, Creative Commons
More people are bitten trying to let go of snakes than when they grab them.
Easy to grab, hard to let go.
-- John Ortberg
Many years ago I struggled with some pretty severe sinful patterns in my life. Some would call them addictions, and if I’m being honest, they were. These weren’t your run-of-the-mill sinful patterns. They were the kind that destroy lives and break up marriages.
Which, for me, they did both.
In the darkest hours of these struggles, I found depression and a desire to end my life. At the worst point, I truly believed there would be no way out except to die.
This is the power of addiction, and sin is, among other things, addictive. John went on to explain, this is true of everything that can destroy human character: deceit, bitterness, pornography, greed, debt, and workaholism. These sins are serpents that will quickly weaken the human spirit.
My awareness of the secret of the snake has been tremendously helpful. When I feel the urge to do something I know will be dishonoring to God, I envision myself holding onto a cobra and trying to let go. I pray and ask Him to help give me the strength not to pick it up in the first place.
My fear of getting bit is sometimes more powerful than the pleasure I think I’ll get by trying to grab the snake. As Mark Twain once said, “It is easier to stay out than to get out.”
-- Brian Gardner
Continue reading this helpful article about the power of addiction by clicking the 'Secret of the Snake' link above.
