Month: March 2022

Let’s Go for a Walk

By Chelsea Pollard

My husband and I have been trying to take advantage of the warm days by going for walks. We’ve enjoyed the breeze and the beautiful scenery around us!

There are several places in the New Testament where writers use walk/walking as a metaphor. It paints a clear picture of what our Christian lives should be like, which I find very helpful as a visual learner. We are told to walk in the light and to walk in love. Paul even describes life as a race (2 Timothy 4:7).

In the book of John, we see that Jesus is the Light: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it … The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:4-9).

Jesus was there in the beginning, He created everything, and He is the light. Jesus lowered Himself to become human. He came to earth so He could give all humanity for the rest of time the choice to walk with Him.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).

In 1 John 1:5-7, we see that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. We have to walk in the light as He is in the light if we’re going to be saved. If we choose to walk with Him, it’s a lifestyle change. It is a continuous walk. If you are trying to walk in the light, God’s got you covered. I love the walk metaphor because it reminds me that some days I just have to take it a step at a time. It can get really hard and you might not want to walk anymore, but God is with you every step of the way. Our Creator loves us and He wants us to succeed.

Ephesians 5:2 shows us that we need to walk in love, just like Jesus loves us and gave himself for us. This means we need to live a life filled with love. After all, we’re meant to be like Jesus. We need to reflect Him in our lives so we can bring other people to know Him. God is love, so that’s what we need to be.

In Romans 6, Paul tells us that once we’ve been immersed, we’ve died to sin. We have grace, but we need to be actively walking in the light to have that grace. Verse four says, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” All throughout Romans is an interesting contrast between life and death. We see death/sin on one side, and life with God on the other. Verse 11 says, “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

We have the chance to live a new life! So, let’s go for a walk.

The Pitcher Plant

By Janelle Pollard

My mother-in-law and my mom both have the greenest of thumbs. It seems they can look at any plant and tell me what it is, when and how it grows best, and its favorite places to shop. I, on the other hand, do not have this talent. However, I have always found nature documentaries fascinating.

While all plants are truly incredible in their own way, one plant that is especially interesting is the Pitcher plant. This sly specimen has a way of attracting insects to its sugary sweet upper rim. The insect, while enjoying this tasty treat, has just unknowingly become a victim of a cleverly designed trap that will lead to its own demise. Once the insect has landed on the upper rim, it will become stuck, unable to fly away. Eventually, it will fall deeper into the “pitcher” area of the plant and will ultimately drown in the plant’s digestive fluids.

While the circle of life can seem sad at times, it also offers us an important lesson, if we are willing to listen and learn from it. Just like the insect, we as humans can be enticed by certain things in life. Some of these things may be sinful and some may not be. However, if we let them take over our lives, they can lead to sin and death.

I don’t know how much forethought the average insect has, but I doubt that before flying onto the upper rim of a pitcher plant, it knew it would be its final flight. But once it landed, the sticky sweetness had taken hold and it was too late to for the insect to change its mind. Sometimes, we think we are in control and if we do something we shouldn’t “just once,” it won’t become a problem.

It doesn’t seem like someone stuggling with alcoholism or drug addiction made their first choice to partake while also thinking, “if I play my cards right, soon I’ll be a full-blown addict!” I don’t think anyone who develops a sin problem, whatever sin it may be, started out by thinking that one day it would become what it has. That’s the trap of sin.

Something may seem harmless at first, but once we start, our brain has developed new pathways and soon, we will be enticed more and more. We would all be wise to learn from the trap of the pitcher plant. If there is something we aren’t sure, or even know we shouldn’t do, we should be more wise and insightful that the victims of the pitcher plant and fly far far away!

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
(James 1:14-15)

pitcher plant about to trap an insect
Image credit: the NY Times