Boiling Frog Syndrome

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”      
  King James Version (KJV)

Am I the only person who wasn’t familiar with the term, “boiling frog,” until now? My readers are often more intelligent than I am, so I realize I could be in this pond of unawareness by myself. But, let’s be clear. I don’t mean boiling frogs for culinary purposes – although not my preference, I understand that frog legs are considered a delicacy or diet staple in some regions around the world.

Yet, I was intrigued, and found myself digging a little deeper into the frying pan, forgive the pun, and researched this topic via the internet. I specifically wanted to know what “The Boiled Frog Syndrome” was.

Read this definition…WARNING – it is a little grotesque!

The boiling frog is an anecdote describing a frog slowly being boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to threats that occur gradually, such as creeping state surveillance. – Wikipedia

Now read the next definition…

If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will of course frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly like one of us in a hot bath, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.                                Version of the story from Daniel Quinn's The Story of B

Wow. My mind automatically connects the dots to our Christian journey. The metaphor or analogy is disturbing, but it seems a fitting way to describe the state of some of our congregations and/or ourselves.

 It begs the question, “Are we sinking into a “tranquil stupor” as described above? Are we so accustomed to being a passer-by, a non-participant, a passive onlooker, an unaffected individual, that we lose our God-focused priorities? Do we even notice SUBTLE changes that draw us AWAY from God?

Let’s make an effort to be self-aware and cautious… Let’s NOT to find ourselves guilty of The Boiled Frog Syndrome!

Everyone enjoys COMFORT, but…

When we get TOO comfortable with sin – we’re too comfortable.

When we get TOO comfortable blending in – we’re too comfortable.

When we get TOO comfortable being passive within our church membership – we’re too comfortable.

When we get TOO accustomed to absenteeism from God’s House – we’re too comfortable.

When we get TOO relaxed assuming someone else will do it – we’re too comfortable.

When we get TOO tranquil with not reading our Bibles or opening ourselves in prayer from one week to the next – we’re too comfortable.

When we’re TOO careless in praying consistently for our Pastors, Associate Pastors, Teachers, Deacons, and other leaders – we’re too comfortable.

When we’re TOO nice or embarrassed to speak out for the Lord during awkward moments – then we’re too comfortable.

When we’re TOO familiar with justifying our actions or someone else’s poor decisions – then we’re too comfortable.

Let’s be healthy spiritually – recognize subtle changes that impact your life! The enemy is coy, stealthy, and sly. Things can get out of control and lead us down the wrong path before we realize it.

Don’t get too comfortable. Get out of the “sneaky increase of heat” and the boiling snares of the enemy by DAILY jumping into God’s pond of protection!

 

Let’s look UP friends!