Snakes!

Ron Writes

Everyone knows that the one thing Indiana Jones is afraid of is snakes. “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?” He seems to run into snakes in many of his adventures. On the other hand, most of us don’t. Judy Headrick recently posted a picture of a rattlesnake they came across hiking in Arizona. I’m with Indiana Jones, I would just as soon not run into any snakes, and we usually don’t.

Jesus made an interesting comment about snakes. “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as harmless as doves” (Mt. 10:16). If someone called you a snake, it’s probably not a compliment. It sounds okay to be compared to a dove, but what about a snake? And what is wise about a snake? What is it about snakes that Jesus expects us to emulate? 

This week I was gardening. I reached down for a weed and a snake slithered away. I hadn’t even seen it. That’s the thing about snakes, they’re rarely seen, but they’re there. Snakes are shrewd, they blend in. They don’t call attention to themselves.   The Bible tells us “to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, “ (1 Thess. 4:11-12). Our prayers should be “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Tim. 2:2). By the end of gardening, I had seen 6 different snakes. None tried to call attention to themselves. They just blended with their surroundings, minding their own business. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (Jm. 3:13).