"Golfing With Gators"
A photo posted on Facebook has gone viral; that's nothing new. This one has been viewed by over 200,000 in just one day, according to a story by Reuters, because it shows a large alligator lurking on a putting green. The golf resort near Orlando, Florida, where the photo was taken, says this is par for the course.
For years the resort was the lurking grounds of a 15-feet-long gator nicknamed "Big George". Golfers regularly played around the beast and others like him, and no attacks have ever been reported in the club's 37-year history. A women's tournament continued as scheduled at Myakka Pines Golf Club after the now-viral photo was taken. This alligator is estimated to be 12-13 feet long.
"If we stopped playing because of alligators, we'd never have golfers," a club spokesman was quoted as saying.
It would be hard to find any activity in life that doesn't carry some risk. Driving our cars a half-mile to the grocery store involves some degree of danger; staying inside our house for fear of dangers outdoors also can be risky, when you consider stories of meteorites and falling trees. But playing golf with an alligator present raises the odds of danger. You can play through, but your sensors need to be set at "high"!
Alligators aside, have you considered the danger posed by the nearby lion? Don't laugh; this is a warning given in God's word: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Many, of course, scoff at the idea of "the devil". That concepts seems too much like a cartoon character in the same category as Wile E. Coyote, not to be taken seriously.
But if you believe the Bible at all, why would you dismiss warnings of an evil one? The apostle Paul was a highly intelligent individual. Among his cautions is this one: "... lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11). If you don't take the idea of Satan seriously, though, you will most certainly be ignorant of his strategies. You'll be easy prey.
Malicious? A terrorist? Just listen to Jesus' description of Satan: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). Such a sinister being makes Big George sound like a cuddly kitten!
Timothy D. Hall.
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