By: John Kerr
If you are not used to seeing clear cuts in the forests of British Columbia, they can cause a visceral reaction. Large swaths of beautiful trees cut down and left like a massive scar on the landscape. What is interesting, however, is that if one was to poll many species of wildlife on their opinion, they would say they are thankful for the open areas.
For many, the clear cuts quickly provide a smorgasbord of edibles they can enjoy in relative peace because they have visibility. This is true especially for large animals like moose, dear, elk and bear.
One phenomenon this produces is a creature called the stump moose! This creature can take many forms but usually he is a large black mass that looks like a moose that has curled up for a siesta on the hillside usually in the warmth of the sun. Some humans have been known to wait for long periods of time waiting to see if this strange creature will move and identify itself.
While you may find this strange or even bizarre, the human eye can be tricked very easily. Just the power of suggestion induced in a hunter excited to see his quarry can cause some strange reactions. While on the one hand one can laugh at being fooled by a stump moose, there can also be serious possible implications.
There are innumerable dangers always around us in the Christian life. The Apostle Paul is not slack in calling our attention to these dangers. So often we can be caught up watching something like a stump moose that we miss or downplay the real dangers that are stalking us.
As I recently preached in the book of Philippians, I found his warning to be so jarring in Chapter 3: “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.” (Phil.3:2) Then later he makes that wonderful assertion: “But one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil.3:13b-14)
And if you take Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians together, you will see how united Paul’s thought is towards the churches that are looking for his counsel. All three epistles were written around the same time from Rome while Paul was imprisoned. All three have intense warnings for the believer.
I made the mistake of trying to cross a clear cut. From a distance it looks easy, but as one starts there is no clear path to walk. Every path gets blocked by tree falls. The loggers leave all sorts of cuttings, branches, saplings and anything that is useless to them and over the years they become a maze. A moose has no problem climbing over this, but I quickly regretted it.
From another perspective, the dangers that are underfoot can be deadly or in my case just plain exhausting.
As we try to navigate through these challenging times, we need to be diligent in our walk with Jesus. Don’t be distracted by a stump moose!
