Yesterday afternoon, I saw my son, Mark, drive up and around to the shop and not knowing how long he would be here, I slid on my shoes (both a match, Jeff- read his blog today), and headed in that direction to give him a hug. When I opened the basement door, there were two dreaded lizards (they give me the "willys"?) and I must give them the "willys(?)" too because they always scoot, much too my delight, at an unbelievable pace in the opposite direction from me. But, on this particular day, they are staring toward the corner where the grill stands and they seem to be glued to the concrete. I think to myself why are they not scurrying away? Are they hungry and waiting to see if steaks or hotdogs are about to sizzle on the grill? And then I see the reason why they are stationary- they know they are about to be the meal because in the corner of the patio, lies a coiled up SNAKE!!!!!!
Now, I wasted no time in letting the snake know he could have the sunny porch and I walked BRISKLY, to put it mildly to the shop and told Mark to come with a WEAPON! Now, I doubt that I have any readers who love animals (especially dangerous ones) more than unborn babies but if killing a snake warrants a fine or imprisonment, then I was only hoping my beloved husband would pay the fine or the bail. Mark and I were marching back (me behind him), to MY patio, invaded by an uninvited serpent and in hand, we had the dreaded garden hoe. That is what my parents used to use to take care of snakes before the world went crazy and now look for habitats for them at taxpayers' expense. When we returned, the snake had vacated the premises and while Mark and his Buddy, a golden retriever, and Jedi, his black lab looked for the varmint, Danny arrives and asks me this question." What kind was he, Deborah?" "Are you KIDDING me? I have told you before that there are only two kinds of snakes, Dan, live ones and dead ones!" Then, of course, we were reminded of the story that once he had a king snake named Herman who he kept on the premises, much to my dismay, to eat the bad kind of snakes. Once, a lady stopped her car on the side of the road and told Danny that she had seen a snake in his yard and when he replied that it was probably Herman, she quickly sped off and I suppose that at dinner, she remarked to her husband "Have you met the family down the road? I think they are a remake of the Addam's Family." (You who are our age remember "Lurch" and "Thing", don't you?)
Well, long story short, Danny and Mark and the dogs didn't find the snake and when my humorous husband left for work this morning, he said with a twinkle in his eyes-"Go out and see if you can find your "buddy" today." Laugh out loud!! I assured him that only inside projects would be on the agenda for today and who knows, maybe the rest of summer. Well, we have had our laugh this morning and I love to laugh but can I get serious and apply this spiritually? You knew that it was coming, didn't you? When I see a snake, especially one with the color of yesterday's snake, I have one reaction: RUN!!!! The Bible often instructs us to stand, to fight, to remain, but the admonition "to flee" is also found in Scripture. Paul tells Timothy in 1 and 2 Timothy to flee some things. Isn't it amazing, Christian, that we will run from a creature that will harm us physically (and should) but we will hang around with, even invite in the devices that seek to cripple or ruin us spiritually?
This morning, as I flipped pancakes, these thoughts were churning in my head and my heart so I may sound bold but the Book I try to let guide my life is bold. The truth needs to be spoken in love and it seems fewer are willing to do so today. Political correctness and the fear of sounding judgmental has silenced the very people who God has sent with the liberating truth of the Gospel. And as I heard someone recently say, "The truth will set you free but at times, will sting at the start."
Parents, the old serpent seeks to entice, entertain,and eradicate your child's life.Yes, there is a real devil who will enjoy watching as their lives evaporate into nothingness. I challenge you, today, to know what they are watching because Hollywood and TV have an agenda to warp their view of life. Know, please, what they listen to because the music industry allow lyrics that put the good down and praise the bad guys. Know what their DS and Wii games are teaching them and don't allow that to be their sole entertainment all day. It seems that kids don't know how to play and imagine anymore. Get involved and know what their schools and textbooks are teaching them . I thought I wouldn't be specific but allow me, please? Kindergartners and young kids don't need sex education in their curriculum. They do not need to read that Heather Has Two Mommies and that it's ok. If we didn't realize the perilous times that we are living in, we would almost think some of these ludicrous things we hear and read about going on in our culture were a joke. But they are not a joke. The old subtle serpent has been studying human nature and knows exactly what he is doing and many times doing so because we parents are not watchmen on the walls. Does it make you angry that schools require a consent form to give a child an Aspirin for a headache but some want legislation passed to take that same girl to the abortion clinic without parental notification? Is it just me or does that make any sense at all?
Know what they are being taught and if it doesn't jive with our Bible, make sure that they know where our mandate and marching orders come from. In fact, they should already know that before they march off to school. We should be teaching and living it in our homes and then having Bible-teaching churches reinforce it right behind us. Know their friends- peer pressure is key when they reach a certain age and I don't mean to sound over dramatic but when Scripture says "...the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour," your child is a target. Yes, he will wreck that life if he gets a foothold.
Parents, I heard from Chuck Swindoll the other night that one of the best things you can do for your children is to love and be totally committed to each other. Some of you may need to run from a situation right now, like Joseph did. Joseph didn't tarry and rationalize and converse with Mrs. Potiphar about her unmet needs from her husband who stayed away from home too much. There are men and women who know your weakness lies in the attention of the opposite sex but you aren't running. Why aren't you running? If you are married, dear sister, your best friend shouldn't be male unless he is the guy you took the vow with and is out today making a living for you. Your closest confidante, Christian brother, should not be female unless she is that wife who is taking care of your home today. In my opinion, this is a "snakely" situation and the solution is to run. Oh, I know, the college educated PhD's tell us the children are resilient and won't care when the home falls apart. NOT SO! I sat with two little boys once in a Christian psychologist's office and when asked how they felt about Mom leaving, one said and I will never forget it. "Dr. Chuck, I feel like a war is going on in my chest."
I don't know why God gave me this- I don't know who reads this but the serpent's subtilty was mentioned in Genesis 3. He doesn't march up to you and announce what his intentions are. That snake (I think maybe a copperhead), was coiled in a corner yesterday, no sound, no suspicion. In fact, the lizards were my "clue" that something was amiss. Maybe, we need to open our eyes and see the signs pointing to danger. I read an illustration once that I don't think I will ever forget. Some towns people were calling a meeting to discuss a steep incline leading into their city where many wrecks were occurring, especially at night. Cars were careening down and over the cliff and there had been serious injuries and regrettably, a few fatalities. The conclusion had been reached to build a hospital at the bottom of the road so they could treat the injured quickly and maybe increase their survival chances. An older, wiser gentleman rose from his seat and announced " Gentlemen, I don't mean to go against the grain here, but a cheaper and more effective solution would be to build a guard rail all the way down on both sides of the road, thereby preventing the cars from ever going over the cliff."
In closing, Believer, I am glad that God has a balm when we are wounded. I love the healing Grace that He gives us when we have gone over the cliff. I love this verse "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. But I also love another that we don't seem to hear as often, the one that can build the guard rail to keep us on the road. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but GOD is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Cor. 10:13. My heartfelt prayer and desire is that I have been an instrument of God today to help someone. BEWARE OF THE SNAKE!!
Looking up, Deborah
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