Armadillo Hunting & Repentance

One of my jobs as a security guard in TX was to thin-out and reduce

the armadillo population on campus. From time-to-time, our boss would call and say, “Landscaping is complaining about too many armadillos destroying the flower beds again—round-up a few guys and ‘send ‘em home.”

“Send ‘em home,” was code for killing a few as soon as possible. Easier said than done due to their toughness and speed when running back to their dens.

I’ve always referred to an armadillo as a possum in a taco shell. They are as dumb and blind as possums but with a thick coat of armor. They can’t see, but use their incredible sense of smell to guide them back to their holes/dens after they’ve finished foraging and digging around for food.

They are primarily nocturnal, so we would hunt them at night with flashlights. I also remember learning that the worst thing you could do would be to try to run over one. When frightened, they can jump almost 3’ into the air. Many a car or truck grill and radiator was destroyed due to this habit.

The funniest part about hunting them with a group was when we’d have a new guard involved, preferably a freshman at the school We’d intentionally put him in the path leading to the armadillo’s den if possible. Then, we’d spook one and inevitably, following its own scent trail home, it would run right at the newbie. Often he would scream and run. This was great if he ran down the same path the armadillo had used because it would seemingly continue to “chase” him for several yards creating the need for a uniform change—or at least underwear change.

Great stuff…

Still, I was always amazed at how fast they could run--in the opposite direction, back to their homes. They would often escape us this way and return the following evening to do more digging.

REPENTANCE IS KINDA LIKE THAT

In the Bible, the word "repent" simply means "to turn." It means that if you're going the wrong way, you should turn around and go in the opposite direction. Pretty simple, yet, sometimes hard to do.

Unlike armadillos, humans seem to try anything and everything EXCEPT doing a 180 degree reverse when we screw-up. We try hiding our mistake, explaining it away. We try justifying our sin. We even try blaming others or pointing-out the sins of others to make ours seem less of a problem.

None of this works.

Like the armadillo, safety is found when we reverse course, repent, and let God cover us with the blood of Jesus. Confession and repentance may not be easy, but God's way ALWAYS works (see I John 1:9 and Acts 2:38).

So when, (not if), you and I mess-up today, let's simply confess it and turn away from it with a resolve not to do it again!

To that end,

Pastor Joel