The Trouble With Tribbles!

Okay, I’ll admit it!  I was a Star Trek junkie in my younger years.  One of my favorite episodes was when the crew inadvertently brought a menacing alien creature aboard the ship.  Now, for those of you who had more of a social life than I did growing up, these devastating creatures were in fact cute, love-able, little fluff balls.  They kind of looked like overgrown cotton balls dipped in neon paint.  They weren’t vicious, didn’t eat human flesh, weren’t dangerous, and were overall…pretty darn cute.

So, what was so bad about these little guys?  They made the reproduction cycle of rabbits look like turtle racing in slow motion!  After just a few days on the ship, these fuzz balls had infested every nook and cranny of the vessel and made the function of everyday life practically impossible.  My favorite scene was when a very irritated Captain Kirk ordered a black coffee, when he went to drink it, yep you guessed it, a cute little tribble was resting in his cup.

“What”, you might ask, “does any of this have to do with my spirituality?”  Great question, I’m glad you asked.  You see a tribble is a wonderful metaphor for those insignificant, cute little sins we try to keep as pets.  We say to ourselves, “We can manage it”, but you can’t.  We think, “No one will ever know”, but they eventually will.  Soon you’ll find yourself tripping over, laying in, and absolutely trapped by your little ‘tribble’ sins.  The reality is the reproductive cycle of your ‘tribble sins’ makes…well you get the picture!

When tempted, no-one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.  Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. – James 1:13-16