Sara Jewett tells the story of a woman who ascended the pathway leading to the home of a retired sea captain in the state of Maine. On the way, the woman sees a number of wooden stakes scattered about the property with no discernible order. Each stake is painted white and trimmed in yellow, like the captain's house. With great curiosity and no small bewilderment, she asks the captain what they mean. He explains. When he first plowed the ground, his plow snagged on many large rocks just below the surface. So he set out stakes where the rocks lay in order to avoid them in the future. That way he did not have to relearn where every rock was every time he plowed. 

The captain's caution gives him the opportunity to farm productively in what might otherwise be an inhospitable environment. So it is with our world, according to the scriptures. Evil is there, both within and without, for us. But that which is learned can be unlearned, or at least controlled. Christians are urged not only to be cautious as to their lifestyle but to put out stakes of opportunity: "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."