11 May

They Call Me…Batman

posted by Daniel Blackaby

My phone rang, interrupting my sleep. Answering it, I was greeted by the barely recognizable sobs of my friend Tracy. She was house-sitting a large country house and something must have spooked her I thought. “Just wait Tracy, I’ll come by.”

Opening the front door I called out, “Tracy, I’m H…” I was cut off by a blood-curling scream, “SHUT THE DOOR! Don’t let any more in!” Quickly slamming the door I spun around, there stood Tracy looking awful. She informed me that while on the computer, “Something had flown past her head.” Assuring her that she was merely letting the fright of being home alone get to her, I offered to inspect the house to comfort her.

I looked in every room – no sign of the mysterious winged trespasser. Tracy agreed she must have just imagined it. Offering me a coke for my efforts we went to the kitchen, but something didn’t smell right. We glanced up at the entryway…

There was a piercing, girly, high-pitch shriek…I think Tracy yelled too. Hanging by its feet was a mammoth, hairy, sinister looking bat. I’ve seen people walk dogs smaller than this bat. Tracy looked at me and screamed three haunting words, “Daniel…DO something!”

Grabbing a stool and a hand-cloth I prepared to enter into mortal combat against my hairy opponent. Gazing deeply into the blood-red eyes of my furry foe, I peered down at the tiny, tattered cloth in my hand. “What am I thinking? This bat’s huge! It could eat me…whole!”

Breathing deeply, I reached out and grabbed it. Wrapping the cloth around my prisoner, I sprinted with Olympian speed towards the door. An epic battle of Man vs. Beast ensued. A wing broke free from my grasp and started flapping against my face. The high pitch shriek of the bat drowned out only by the even higher-pitched screams coming from me. Finally reaching the door I flung it out and watched it fly off into the night.

Thinking back on this horrible event, it didn’t matter to Tracy that twenty rooms were bat-free; the idea of one room inhabited by it was tearing her apart. That’s the way sin affects us too. All it takes is for one little sin to slip in and it impacts our entire life. Jesus says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom 6:14).

In my own life there have been moments where I’ve struggled with a grudge and unforgiveness, or envy towards somebody. The Bible says, “The end of those things is death” (Rom 6:21b). Those sins eventually took control and I became bitter. They brought death to my joy and my relationships.

I encourage you to look into your life and see if any sins have quietly slipped in. Overcoming these sins is never easy. It can be scary and overwhelming, but the price is too high to let them remain. I encourage you to not let little sins rob you of the joy and fullness of God’s grace.

Filed in: Responding to God, Sin