Snakes, Ticks, and Life

Life has a funny way of getting into your head.

Have you ever been mowing the yard, trimming weeds, or walking through the woods when you suddenly spot a copperhead or a rattlesnake? From that moment on, every crooked stick looks coiled up, every vine seems ready to strike, and even an old garden hose lying beside the shed will make a Baptist dance.

I remember one day mowing at the cabin when I spotted a big rattlesnake. I pulled my 9mm and emptied the magazine at him. My dad walked over, looked at the snake, and grinned. "Son, I still don't think you hit him. I believe he just died of a heart attack from all that shooting."

I've learned something through the years. If I'm weed-eating and find a copperhead, I just go ahead and call it a day after I deal with him. Because from that point on, I won't get another thing accomplished. I'll spend the next two hours fighting imaginary reptiles while the actual weeds keep growing.

Well, ticks are the same way.

That reminds me of a trip years ago when I met the Brothers down around Jamestown, Tennessee. They had hauled their pop-up camper down a couple of days early so we could do a little pleasure hunting before one of the competition hunts.

The weather was unusually warm, but we figured we'd make the best of it. We cut a few dogs loose, made a handful of trees, grabbed a bite to eat, and finally headed back to camp feeling pretty good about the evening.

Just as we got back to the camper, one of the fellows looked down and said, "I've got a tick on me."

Immediately, I started itching.

Now, usually, like those snakes, that's just your imagination playing tricks on you.

This time it wasn't.

Within a few minutes, we looked like a bunch of monkeys grooming one another. We were pulling ticks off our sleeves, our socks, our hats, and places I didn't even know ticks could find. We'd think we finally had every one of them picked off, sit down in our camp chairs to rest, and another little bloodsucker would come crawling up our pant leg like he had hunting rights.

Finally, somebody said, "We're going to town."

We found a bug spray that looked less like insect repellent and more like something the government kept in Area 51. The can had enough warning labels to make you wonder if being bitten by the ticks was actually safer.

"Spray outdoors."

"Do not inhale."

"Avoid skin contact."

"May cause blindness."

The warning label listed everything but hemorrhoids. After reading all those side effects, though, I was itching hard enough to add that one myself.

By the time we finished spraying our clothes, I'm pretty sure I'd inhaled enough fumes to qualify for another planet. I vaguely remember dancing around a campfire with a tribe of Indians before waking up the next morning wondering why I was late for the school bus... and I was thirty-five years old.

But I'll admit one thing.

It worked.

Didn't find any ticks after that.

At least... I thought.

A couple of days later I headed home. I took a shower, got dressed, and walked through the house when Belinda looked at me and said,

"What's that on your back?"

Sure enough, there it was.

One stubborn tick had buried himself in like he'd signed a thirty-year mortgage. Red streaks were already beginning to spread around the bite.

Needless to say, I made a trip to the doctor and started a round of antibiotics.

To this day, I still hate ticks. Once I find one, I'm done. I feel those little jokers crawling everywhere.

They're parasites.

They don't contribute a thing. They don't help the animal they're attached to. They simply latch on, take what they need, and leave the host weaker than before.

As I thought about that, it hit me that sometimes we can become spiritual ticks.

That isn't a pleasant thought, but it's a biblical one.

When we trust Christ, God never intended for us to simply attach ourselves to Him or to the church so our needs would be met. He saved us, gifted us, and placed us into His body so we could strengthen it.

Peter writes,

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)

Notice the command.

Use it.

Not hide it or compare it.

Use it.

The Christian life isn't a cruise ship where a handful of people wait on everyone else.

It's more like a battleship.

Sunday worship, Life Groups, prayer meetings, Bible studies, ministry opportunities, and discipleship are God's training grounds. They aren't designed so someone else can fight your battles. They're preparing you to stand faithfully in the battle God has assigned to you.

Paul reminds us,

"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you.'"

1 Corinthians 12:21 (ESV)

I once read something that I never forgot. I don't know who originally wrote it, but the question has stayed with me.

What would my church become if everyone contributed the way I do?

Would the church be friendlier?

Would guests be welcomed?

Would children be discipled?

Would lonely people be noticed?

Would ministries be strengthened?

Would burdens be shared?

Would prayer increase?

Would encouragement multiply?

Would the pastors be refreshed?

Would the church be healthier?

That question is uncomfortable because it turns the conversation inward.

It's easy to talk about what the church should do.

It's much harder to remember that we are the church.

There isn't some mysterious group of people somewhere else who are supposed to create biblical community for us.

The church becomes loving as its people practice love.

The church becomes welcoming as its people welcome.

The church becomes generous as its people give.

The church becomes spiritually deep as its people pursue maturity.

The church becomes faithful as its people remain faithful.

At some point, the church we're hoping for will require the contribution we've been withholding.

One body.

One mission.

One Savior.

Biologists talk about two kinds of relationships.

A parasite feeds off another organism until the host grows weaker.

A symbiotic relationship causes both to grow stronger because each contributes something valuable.

That leaves every one of us with a question worth asking.

In my walk with God...

Am I feeding the Body... or am I feeding off the Body?

Do I simply ask others to pray for me, encourage me, teach me, visit me, and help me...

Or do I ask the Lord,

"Who can I encourage today? Who can I serve? How can I strengthen Your church?"

Because healthy Christians aren't spiritual ticks.

They're servants whose greatest joy is making the Body of Christ stronger.

Turns out the biggest parasites aren't always the ones hiding in the weeds. Sometimes they're the attitudes we carry into church unless Christ changes our hearts.

And if you'll excuse me...

I've got some weeds to cut.

Although, if I see one more snake or tick... They're on their own.