Matthew 3:4 – talks about how John the Baptist lived. One commentary response was, “Do you practice what you preach? Could people discover what you believe by observing the way you live?” We live in a pit of snakes/serpents/vipers everyday. Call them what you will. When I think about the characteristics of snakes, I associate them being sneaky, crafty, cunning, and poisonous creatures. Take into consideration some of those crafty snakes from the Bible and movies. Satan in the form of a serpent visiting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Moses’ staff turned into a serpent, although the purpose was to devour Pharoah’s staff turned snakes. Kaa, the Indian Python in Jungle Book. Nag and Nagaina, the king cobras in Rikki Tikki Tavi. Nagini, Voldemort’s giant hybrid python in Harry Potter. I even had my own snakes last October, which led me to hire a lawn service to mow my grass. I went as far a beheading one, which appeared to be a rattlesnake to me. Then again, I deem ALL snakes poisonous because I’m so terrified of those that crawl on their bellies. While my snakes were only about 13 inches, there were terrifying nonetheless.
I wished the first one away. I was mowing the grass along the sidewalk and I guess I disturbed his rest. He came slithering out of the grass. I ran to the garage, grabbed a shovel, but when I got back, he must have burrowed himself deeper into the grass. My nerves were so shot that I couldn’teven finish mowing the grass. After taking a 4-hour break and came back to finish, that joker slithers out again. Only this time, he decides to go across the street into the neighbor’s yard. Good riddens!
If that wasn’t enough, on a Tuesday night like I always do before I lock up for the night, I looked out the back door to make sure everything was kosher. How come, I see this baby rattle snack (pictured with this post) on my back porch! Y’all, if someone had recorded me acting a fool, I could have one a cash prize. Looking back it was kind of ridiculous, but I was terrified and all I knew I had to do was kill him! I ran the garage, grabbed the shovel and being too afraid to step out onto the back porch, I cautiously opened the door, to make sure there wasn’t a family of them. All I had ever been told was to cut off the head to stop the snake. Being afraid to venture onto the porch, I stood in the doorway, extended the shovel in hand, butt pushed back inside, raised shovel and came down in one fallen swoop decapitating that snake…while my eyes were closed! OMG! I opened them once I heard the shovel scrape against the concrete. His little head was spinning through the air and I proceed to go “Rambo” on him, cutting him into more pieces. Y’all don’t even know! Then I had to get that joker up, but not that night. I took two Benadryl and took my behind to bed. The next morning I got up and hoped some critter had come along and eaten him, but to no avail. The only thing out there was a bunch of darn ants gathering to eat his behind! That left me no choice but to rake him into a box and chunk him in the trash. Thank God it was trash day.
The lawn service was already schedule to come on that Wednesday evening. Do you know they had the audacity to kill another snake on the side of the house? WTH? Did I have an investation? Was there a nest somewhere in my yard? I wasn’t trying to find out. I went and bought some Snake-Away from Home Depot and along with moth balls, put that out in my yard! Needless to say, I have since sold my Honda lawn mower. I have no intentions of EVER mowing grass again!
All this to say, yes, I am terrified of snakes! In fact, I’m scared of any reptilian-like creatures, i.e., frogs, lizards, salamanders, gekos, etc. So I had to decide how to face the snakes in my life because they will come. I decided to do what the Lord promised me in His Word. When the serpent deceived Eve, God spoke and said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” ( Genesis 3:15). God was speaking of Jesus. As I was bringing that shovel down on the snakes head, that is exactly what I thought, “Jesus is going to crush your filthy head and so am I!”
Now this was an actual snake, but we do encounter people who have snake-like characteristics. In the same way with an actual snake, we must, metaphorically, cut off their heads when they lie and cause descension. We crush it before it ever begins. But we also have to learn how to recognize the venom they spew. I know of a person who actually has the physical and characteristic traits of a snake. Small, hard lined lips. Slit eyes. Never looking you directly in the eye when she talks to you. Throwing you under the bus as sure as I am A.Redbone. Never accepting responsibility and always blaming someone else. She gossips about everyone around her and remains hush, hush about her own life. She gets dirt on others, but you know nothing about her.
Regardless of the snakes, I try to always be aware of my surroundings. I look high and low for snakes lurking around corners, hiding in trees, sitting in a cublicle next to me, etc. They will always be present, but the choice is mine in how I decide how to face and conquer the snakes.
Redbone and Rice 