Beware of Alligators


There was a story a few years ago about a Florida man who woke up one day to find his legs 
stuck in mud and his eyes staring into the faces of several alligators.  How did he get in this 
dangerous predicament?  He sleepwalked out his door, fell down an embankment, and didn't 
wake up until he was stuck in an alligator-infested canal.

Sleepwalkers can be unpredictable and scary.  Although they mean no harm, they sometimes hurt 
themselves or others, all while unknowing and asleep.

On the other hand, some people's waking hours also appear to be exercises in sleepwalking.  
They simply aren't alert to their surroundings, to situations, and to opportunities.  They're out of 
touch with family, friends, and God.  Friends assume too much and communicate too little and 
precious relationships are damaged or lost.  Husbands and wives neglect one another or their 
children and their sleepwalking wrecks a family.  Sin sneaks into a life because a soul had drifted 
into spiritual apathy.

We tend to close our eyes to the obvious.  We ignore danger signs.  We get out of touch because 
of preoccupation with trivial things.  By the time we wake up and acknowledge the real situation, 
it's sometimes too late.  The alligators have us in their jaws!

God's Word address sleepwalking this way, "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ 
will shine on you.  Be careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of 
every opportunity, because the days are evil."  (Ephesians 5:14-16)

Beware of those alligators!