What's that slithering away?

I was watching tiny minnows swimming against the current in our creek when I was startled by the sound of slithering in the leaves behind me. Turning quickly, I scanned the ground to see what it could be. We do have snakes along the creek and I've been trying to take a picture of the one that resides near a bunch of roots, but somehow, every time I have my camera, he's not there and when I don't have my camera, I'll end up seeing him sunning himself along the bank. So, I was hoping this could be the snake, but it wasn't.

Common Five-lined Skink

What I saw instead was a light brown, shiny lizard, with what appeared to be faint stripes down its back. It scurried along a log and paused for a few seconds to eye me suspiciously. Then, in a flash, he was gone. Thankfully I was able to snap a couple of pictures and my best guess is that it was a Common Five-lined Skink. As youngsters, they have a bright blue tail and very distinct stripes; however, as adults the stripes become much fainter.

These skinks eat mainly insects, such as spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and termites. They prefer to live in moist wooded areas with lots of cover, but also need open areas for basking. In the spring, they breed and the male will often have a bright orange jaw during the breeding season. Then the female will lay 4-14 eggs under rotten logs, rocks, or leaf litter and will stay with the eggs until they hatch, which is usually 1-2 months later.

Skinks are supposedly among some of the fastest reptiles in the world. If you try to catch them, they will almost always bite, but their bite doesn't usually break the skin because their teeth are so small. However, if you catch them by their tails, they have the ability to escape by letting their tails break off. The tail will grow back, though not as beautiful or as strong as the original.

When I think of the swiftness with which the skink darts for safety at the least shadow of an enemy, it reminds me of how we too should flee from the mere shadow of sin. And if our hand should cause us to sin, Matthew 5:30 says "cut it off" (as in be willing to surrender "the attributes which Satan has inspired" and earnestly put away sin), just as the skink lets its tail go.