Ecclesiastes 9:12

For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

The “crisply” struck iron shot is headed directly toward the front pin, but suddenly disappears as it approached the crest of a green side bunker. You don’t see any sand splash, but don’t hear a thud on the green either. The contact felt pure and it looked promising throughout flight, but somehow the force field above the sand deflected it from landing on the green.

The lives of the “sons of men” take similar paths of flight. From the outside, all is well in their world and things are seemingly going perfect. However, adversity is certain in this life. Without the presence of Christ, the ultimate destination of the “sons of man” is ruin. Plato wrote that pleasure was the bait of evil with which men are caught.

The road to worldly success and acceptance is a wide one. Acceptance can be bought with a price, as can momentary happiness. Similarly, success can be attained by compromise. Our society is centered around acceptance, earthly success and secular enjoyment. If it makes money, people happy, or life easier, it is deemed acceptable.

In Matthew 7:14, we are reminded that not only is the gate small, but the road is narrow. Once we enter this tight entrance, the life path of the Christian is a narrow one. This path, however, is a protected path. It is not to say that this road is always the smoothest. The potholes and speed bumps are present and there for a reason. They slow us down and force us to be patient. The patient man realizes the true riches of the believer and our ultimate acceptance is at the end of the narrow road. The believer is empowered with the ability to discern the snares from things that are profitable. Let us desire the spiritual strength and wisdom to avoid getting caught up matters or things which are packaged as blessings, but in reality are burdens. The bunkers of life are wide and easy to enter, but difficult to escape with the power of Christ.