GATORS ON THE GOLF COURSE

READ MATTHEW 13:24-30

     In 1995, my mom and I drove from Cleveland, Ohio to Ft. Myers, Florida to visit a retired couple who were our next-door neighbors when I was growing up. They moved from Ohio to build a new home in Ft. Myers within a golf course community where the homes encircled the course. When we arrived, they gave us a tour and showed us the dents in the siding from misguided golf balls hitting the house.

     We visited during the Thanksgiving holiday, and I had the blissful pleasure of swimming in one of the community pools on Thanksgiving morning, something unheard of in Ohio. Later in the day, our friends treated us to a full-course turkey dinner served at the country club restaurant.

     For four days we made trips to the white beaches of Ft. Myers beach to swim in the Gulf of Mexico. One day my mom and I drove across the causeway to Sanibel Island where we poked around in trendy shops and found a place to have lunch. We discovered that water, sand, and sun were the signature elements of Florida.

     Unfortunately, those same elements are the favorite habitat for alligators. Our neighbors warned us not to sightsee near the canals or golf course ponds where alligators could be living. In Florida, nuisance alligators over four feet long sometimes sun themselves on canal banks or stroll on the greens of golf courses. Golf courses are hot spots for gators due to the well-maintained ponds that are often stocked with fish. Florida has the second largest population of alligators in any U.S. state. Except in the salty ocean, these reptiles can be found living in Florida anywhere there is a large body of water.

     For some interesting golf trivia, in 2017 a golfer prodded a slumbering gator off the fairway and into the water during the opening of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida. The internet is full of stories about gators wandering around on golf courses and swimming in residential swimming pools!

     In general, alligators are opportunistic predators that eat whatever is the easiest prey. Sometimes they float on the surface of the water, perfectly still and appearing like a floating log. Any unsuspecting bird, turtle, frog, or small animal may hop onto the “log” and wind up caught in the alligator’s quick jaws. To a large gator, any animal coming to drink from the water bank could be fair game. Once an alligator catches its prey, the biting force of its jaws crushes the animal. The bite force of a 12-foot, 450 lb. alligator has been measured to be 2,200 lbs., making the reptile a formidable enemy.

     People are not alligators’ natural prey. However, golfers, hikers and unwary tourists in Florida need to have a healthy caution for any gator that appears in their path.

     Now that we have been forewarned of the possible perils of golfing in Florida, let’s use this image from the wild to talk about a life-saving instinct called “discernment.” The word “discern” is derived from the Latin words dis which means “apart” and cernere which means “to separate.” It means to clearly recognize or differentiate. Discernment does not involve the physical separation of two tangible objects, but rather the mental ability to distinguish between two entities or concepts even though they may be combined as one. Our minds can sort out the components that make up the whole of something. Discernment is also the identification of the true nature of something that may be hidden from full view.

     For the Christian, this includes the spiritual ability to have God’s perspective, insight, and divine wisdom that supersedes our own natural senses. It is a type of “seeing” that the Holy Spirit provides. Many times, discernment comes to us not with words, but as a “gut” instinct telling us something isn’t right. We experience an inner alarm going off, warning us of danger or deception.

     In our daily living we apply discernment to relationships with people who do not have the right motives towards us. They may appear to be friendly or helpful, like the alligator posing as a floating log in the water. When the time is ripe, we find out that they are only trying to take advantage of us through some devious means, scam or reuse. These human “alligators” could be both friends or strangers depending on who we let into our inner circle.

     People can break trust with others due to their self-serving motives. To our face, they are a friend, but behind our back, they are an enemy i.e. “frienemy.” Their proximity positions them to do us harm. People can express their ill-will through gossip, backbiting, and false reports about us. Like the unsuspecting bird, turtle, or frog, we may get caught in the jaws of such a person and feel the crushing weight of their words against us.

     In Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus introduces discernment to His followers by telling the parable of the wheat and tares. He warns of the evil motives of people by describing the world as a wheat field. In the parable, a man sowed a field with kernels of wheat, fully expecting a good harvest for his efforts. While the man was asleep, an enemy purposefully sowed seeds that would grow tares or weeds. The plants grew and the man realized that his wheat field was ruined by weeds, to his disappointment. Bewildered, he asks if he should pull out the weeds growing amid the wheat?

     Jesus finished the story by saying, “No, lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest.” (Matthew 13; 24-30) At harvest time, the weeds would be bundled together and thrown into the fire. Then the wheat would be harvested and taken into the barns.

     The field of wheat represents our world full of people. Everyone has an opportunity to be responsible, productive citizens, yielding their respective contributions to society. That is the wheat, and the harvest is a well-lived life. Unfortunately, the devil comes to people and entices their minds with lies, get-rich schemes and self-serving motives that can accost others. These people are the “tares” whose deceptive, predatory actions are counterproductive, if not illegal. They cause trouble for other people who are innocently trying to make a way in life.

     We cannot see into other people’s hearts and know what their endgame is. We must rely upon God to see people’s motives towards us and warn us if anyone is trying to deceive us. God will expose the “alligators” roaming around looking for whomever they may devour.

     God does not want people to be ignorant, naïve, or unequipped to live in a fallen world under the influence of the devil. We must trust God to give us discernment as we interact with people. “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)

     Although widespread malice exists, it is not good for us to adopt a suspicious, cynical outlook, thinking that everyone is out to get us. Sprinkled along our path we will also find good, genuine people who are kind-hearted and willing to help. We must be able to discern both. Good-hearted people are a pleasure to get to know.

     Most importantly, we need to know our own hearts and examine our own motives towards others. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore, be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) We need to stop ourselves from getting into the “weeds” of gossip and drama. Make sure you do not put on a façade to look good to others while letting your motives go unchecked. Be genuine and honest in your relationships, taking strides towards self-improvement.

     Finally, when we are actively doing God’s will and accomplishing the work He has for us, that work will occupy us. We won’t have time to become distracted and “major in the minors.” We will disregard petty scheming and choose to live higher by staying out of the “weeds” that we discern.