"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'" (Genesis 3:1 NIV)
How quickly we forget, there’s a snake in our story…
Yesterday morning, my husband went in the garage to get out his scooter for his work commute. Within moments he was back in the house, visibly rattled.
“There’s a snake in the garage! I walked right by it and it is BIG!”
(Please be kind in your comments; we are still Northerners at heart. We come from a land where snakes aren’t poisonous and nothing is out to kill you.)
We calmed down, considered our options and went back to the garage to investigate. We use the term ‘garage’ loosely. Our outbuilding is some strange mix between shed and barn: it’s dilapidated with a fractured concrete floor and outer walls rotting from the ground up. It desperately needs to be replaced, but we aren’t in a financial position to tackle it yet. (Have you seen the price of wood these days?) Truly, the remains of this building need to be bulldozed, but for now we just store stuff out there; the bikes, tools and tubs of out of season paraphernalia. I say all this to say, there are lots of opportunities for wildlife to infiltrate the structure.
Donning boots and brave faces, we gingerly slid the bay door open, not knowing where the snake might be. Flashlights on and aware of our footfalls, we stepped in to the shed and waited for our eyes to adjust to the shadows. Systematically, we searched the building, at last locating the nasty culprit in the crevice between vehicle bay and workshop. Unfortunately, a few pokes sent him further into the recesses of the rubbermaid tubs and we were out of time. The snake would have to wait until after work.
Last night, after supper, now armed with a sharp shovel and a friendly neighbor, we went on the hunt for the living tire tread. Apparently he’d gone out for the evening. The heat of day had passed and he was getting his steps in or whatever it is that snakes do. But what we did find was equally frightening, not one but THREE shed snake skins in different parts of the workshop — each longer than the next — all around the perimeter in the fracture between light and dark.
A quick google search confirms it: a snake sheds it’s skin 3-6 times a year. This limbless vermin isn’t a visitor, but a permanent resident. He’s maybe lived here longer than we have!
So what does all this have to do with Jesus? I promise, I’m getting there. As we put the barn back together with the promise of death in the daylight, the realization came over me with cold dread. We go in that garage all the time. The tools, the tubs: all things we access on a regular basis. I wheel my moped in and out multiple times a week; all while blissfully unaware there’s a snake in my story. He could have dropped down from the rafters or been around the bike tires or under anything when I moved it. I never would have seen him coming.
Now it’s different. Now I enter the deteriorating structure on high alert: it may as well be full of snakes for all I know! My guard is up and I am expecting the appearance and even attack of my adversary. Do you see where I am going with this?
All too often, we forget that there is a snake in our story. We fail to realize, he’s lived here far longer than we have and he’s exceedingly sneaky as a result of eons of experience with humanity. We go about our daily business, ignorant of the predator in our rafters, shadows and corners. And then, when he attacks, we are caught off guard; injured and even sinful in our reactions. We needn’t look any farther than that first couple in the garden to see how we might respond to an unexpected ambush by the serpent.
Awareness alters everything. If we can recall that there is a snake in our story, we can be on the lookout, watching carefully for his inevitable lies and interference. We can come to expect his obtrusions and factor them into our habits. The best way to avoid being bit by a snake is to remain aware: there is a snake in our story!
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone he can devour. Resist Him, standing firm in the faith, because you know the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV)
Lord, how often we forget that we have a real enemy on the loose, slithering in the edges of our story. He is covert and he is patient. His plans are insidious. Yesterday’s encounter with unwelcome wildlife reminds us that being unaware increases our risk considerably. Help us identify the presence and manipulations of the serpent in our own narrative. Gird us up in the Word and in unbroken fellowship with You. May we remind on guard and ready to identify the serpent as the snake he truly is. May we be unsurprised by his tactics because we are aware of his agenda to steal, kill and destroy. Amen.
A little humor for your Friday. Did I mention that I hate snakes?