Isn’t it odd that ordinary, everyday things cause us to ponder our lives? Case in point, my neighbor.
What she did horrified me.
“John, Ellen, y’all come see what I have!” My neighbor called to us.
I strolled over, thinking she would show me one of her beautiful roses budding out. Well, I can tell you, it was not a lovely flower!
“It’s a full snake skin! He was at least four feet long. Look, you can even see where his eyes were!” She picked up the skin and brought it toward me.
“I can’t believe you are touching that thing,” I screeched, backing away from her.
I was horrified! Not only did she pick up the snake skin, she waved it around like a ribbon gymnasts use in their dance routines. Back and forth, the snake skin fluttered, while my neighbor used her hands to talk. Animatedly. All while holding a SNAKE SKIN. The snake crawled out of his skin, while my skin crawled with repulsion. YUK YUK YUK!
Beautiful, horrible nature
I do not love snakes. I had to deal with them when I was working, because my office was on a beautiful wooded property with a bayou running through. Snakes snuck up and played in the ornamental grass around our office. A few times, I almost stepped on one while walking to my car. There were times baby snakes would get inside. Never have I been more thankful for a good, strong broom to WHAP them with. One day, a snake slithered up the outside of the office window (we had two walls of windows with a panoramic view of nature!). And then there was the time a snake was climbing down a tree.
I saw him hanging from a branch, right outside the office window. He reached the large trunk of the tree, slowly slithering down.
“Scott, turn around and see what’s behind you,” I told my co-worker. When he saw the snake, he looked…well, horrified. He worked a few more minutes, then “remembered” a meeting in town. There were skid marks on the floor, he left so fast!
“So the LORD God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. I will put hostility between you and the woman” Genesis 3:14–15a (CSB)
Please note, I did not put a picture of any snake skins or snakes slithering or climbing. I don’t like snakes. They horrify me.
Time is fleeting
You know what else horrifies me? Lord willing, I have only 15-20 years left on this earth. Time is fleeting. It makes me ask myself:
-Have I served Jesus well?
-Have I loved others well?
-Have I loved well?
I’m also horrified that I haven’t asked myself those questions before this time in my life. They should be regular points of reflection for me.
Reflection Questions:
*Is time passing quickly in your life? What can you do to slow it down?
*Do you have regrets when you think about your life? What would you do differently?
*How would you answer the questions listed above?
Bring these concerns to the Lord in prayer. He will guide you into all truth.
Grace be with you,
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