Frog Boiling 101

Once upon a time, I had a teacher who told us how to boil a frog. Not that we would ever want to do such a thing, unless that was about to be supper. He was talking about how to do it to a live frog and not have the frog leaping out of the skillet. Obviously, if you put a frog into a pan of boiling water, that frog is going to leap out when the first webbed toe dips into the hot water. Frog boiling mission: Failed. However, if you put the frog into a pan of cool water and then gradually start to heat it, the frog will just sit there as the water gets hotter and hotter. Frogs are cold-blooded and change their body temperature to match their surroundings. Before the frog knows what is happening…well, you get the picture.

Although we are warm blooded creatures, we are in many ways like that boiled frog, especially when it comes to slipping away from God’s plans for us. Almost no one says he or she is going to become a big sinner today. In fact, they don’t even say or plan to become a little sinner. Something comes along in their life that is just a little off track. Rather than ignore it or avoid it, they take that little side trip. Perhaps they recognize what happened and they go back to where they should have been in the first place. The next time that same opportunity comes along, they veer off track again…and again…and again. Each time is a little easier and the distance off the main track is a little farther. If it goes on long enough, and far enough, they can end up where the fire is under the boiling water forever. And they are the boiled frog. No one plans to go that way, but some people make that choice.

It can work the opposite way just as easily. Maybe you haven’t been leading the life that God wants you to live. You can have a sudden epiphany and make the dramatic turn around all at once. I have known people who have done that. Most of the time, I suspect, it starts with a small step. Maybe they pick up a piece of reading material and the way the author talks about God, about Jesus Christ, sparks the smallest amount of interest. Instead of tossing it in the trashcan, they stick it in their back pocket or purse or they toss it in the car. Sometime later, they pick it up and read it. Perhaps another small step happens when they decide to go to church on a Sunday with a friend or family member, and that morning’s message strikes just a small chord someplace, like a seed being planted. Instead of gradually increasing water temperature, they are treated to the favor of God. He will make sure they receive just the right amount and at the right time. Gradually, inch by inch, they are nudged back to the main track, the one that leads to a life with God. Is it a baptism, an acceptance of Jesus Christ as their savior, or something else? Whatever it is, the result is the same, an eternity in the Divine Presence.

Where are you today? Is the water around you getting a bit warm, and is the bottom of the pan starting to glow just slightly? Or, is the life you have lead getting a bit brighter and more comforting, day by day. Instead of the ever-increasing heat, are you sensing God’s love and accepting it more and more every day. Will you avoid the hot water and opt instead for the warmth of God’s love?