Lesson from a Boot

I suppose there is a first and last time for everything, and hopefully I ticked both boxes yesterday with a law mower "mishap."  During all the time I have mowed lawns since my youth, I have only had two incidents to report.  One of them was when I pressed my knee into the hot muffler (which cost me a little skin!) and my second came yesterday.  I was wrestling with a rusty gate whilst reaching over the running mower.  When I pushed against the resistance with my right, my left hand which held the handle pushed down slightly.  The momentum of my body went forward, and my right boot slid barely under the whirring blades.  Before you could say "jack rabbit" I heard a strange noise, then instantly sensed a vibration, and found the blades had contacted the toe of my boot.  Here's the result:

I was a bit annoyed by my careless stupidity, but the feeling was quickly swallowed up with thankfulness that I still had my toes!  I can't vouch that the boot is still waterproof, but after a little "Shoe Goo" it cleaned up nicely.  As I finished mowing the lawn, a lesson came out of the experience.  It was not my intention to slide my foot under a moving mower, but in the course of work damage was done.  It was a foreseeable, predictable consequence considering the situation:  if a boot comes in contact with sharp blades, the boot will lose.  Our proximity to sin adds greater potential for damage and loss.  No one figures they will be the one to be overtaken with a trespass.  They believe they are in control until suddenly, before they can even react, the fangs sink in and with them a numbing agent that kills from within.  I was taught as a child never to play with matches because of potential risk.  Don't think you can play with sin and not be burned.  Sin always brings death.

It was a good lesson, and I'm thankful the cost was only damage to a boot and not the loss of my toes!  Praise the LORD for His grace and goodness.