Friday, June 20, 2008

Bear Bait

As people just trying to live a daily life in this world we are so often attacked from within and without. I think sometimes even if we were a single family of Eskimos living on an ice field in Alaska with no outside contact we would still find something to complain, criticize and condemn about. Or one of us would be whining about melting snow for water. Or one of us would be mad because nobody filled up the ice trays. Sometimes I think a spirit of discord and wickedness comes about when we are tired and out of sorts, and then - -so quickly and sneakily - - it becomes a habit. A habit that can quickly tear a rent in the fabric of the peace in our homes. It made me think of this picture of a trip we made to Tennessee some years ago. We stayed in a cabin in the woods behind a little old lady's house. The kids were wanting to see a bear in the worst way. Bear (oops, bad pun!) in mind that there was a special little shed that was locked up like Fort Knox in which you had to take your precisely closed, precisely tied trash to. So. . . being the indulgent, sometimes foolish parents that we are, we said. . . oh, what harm can a little bear do?! We proceeded to lay out lunch meat on the stoop to try to attract a bear! Duh! Okay, so you lay the meat on the stoop to attract a bear! A BEAR!!!?!! What in name of Pete would we have done if a BEAR had come through the screen door to see what the next course was?? Oh. My. Word. I cannot believe how stupid we are sometimes.

But isn't that how we are with each other?? Laying our words and deeds out in front of our loved ones like bear bait? And then we have the nerve to act surprised and hurt when someone comes snarling back at us? Good Grief. I hope God has mercy on us some day and helps us see our own behaviors BEFORE we lay out the bait for one another. I am sure He is getting tired of waiting for us to grow up!

4 comments:

Audra Krell said...

Good point. Great post, I enjoyed it. I can't stand when people keep laying out bear bait over and over, expecting a different result. I've found the more often you lay it out, the bigger the bear that comes back, and sometimes with friends! (So to speak of course!)

~The Bargain Babe from *Zucchini Summer Blog* said...

Hey thanks for coming by! I'm glad you liked my ideas. :) I like your picture of all the rubber boots and dirt.
Have a good day,
Bargainbabe

Lady Why said...

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http://kudzugrows.blogspot.com/2008/04/laundry-soap-recipe.html

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Mom2fur said...

I see myself doing and I see others doing it--setting out that bear bait. It's hard to remember to reign in, although if I'm aware I'm doing it, I'll try. Another good idea is to never take the bait! My husband is a great guy, but he can grumble about the dumbest things. So I'll snap at him for grumbling. And he'll grumble more, and I yell, and, well...it just goes on and on.
Unless I remember not to let little things blow up by making a joke or at least leaving the room!
Yep...part of growing up might be remembering that bait is part of a trap and not taking it!
Hey, I'm glad you stopped by my blog. If you can embroider, you can at least hand-sew a pillow or a little pincushion. It might give you the encouragement to do the real thing!