Mining has been a big part of Arizona’s history for well over a century, and there are mine shafts all over the place. A lot of copper and gold and silver were taken from the earth, and these dangerous places are what’s been left behind. Some mines are well marked, some are grated over--and some have just been left open, waiting for a too-nosey explorer.

Not long ago when camping with my adult son in the remote desert, we came across a yawning vertical shaft, perhaps 10 feet square, and deep enough for the rocks we tossed in to take a number of seconds to hit bottom. As he walked around the far edge, a surge of panic overcame me, and I called out to him to back away.

Scripture warns us against sin. This verse in Proverbs it tells us to “avoid evil to preserve our lives.” But, like an enticing mineshaft, we sometimes like to play it close. “I know I’m close, but I know when to stop.” Sin, like that big hole in the ground, can be compelling, and sometimes our judgement is not well though out.

Falling in is easy; getting out isn’t.