By Joie Conrad BYNA – Elder
Last night the dogs were barking like crazy. I had been in the backyard transplanting some flowers in my pots. I could hear the dogs barking, and John yelling at them to get away from something. I rushed to the front of the house, and on the large lawn in front of our house, the scene was total chaos.
Dogs barking, people yelling and pulling at the dogs to get away from a rattlesnake that had probably come to get a drink. We called our oldest son, Ben, who knows how to deal with snakes, to come to get this intruder. This has been a very dry summer in our high desert, and we have had several rattlesnakes come into our community looking for water.
We have lived here for almost 50 years, and this is the first summer we have had the problem this extreme. Just a few weeks ago, we had a rattlesnake on our back porch just a couple of feet away from the faucet that I use to water my tomato plants and flowerpots. My neighbor behind me had a rattlesnake near her shed. My daughter had a rattlesnake in her front yard, near her faucet. My son had one on his front lawn. There was one near the door of our community center. Another one was in the shop where the men fix our vehicles.
Two weeks ago, our oldest grandson, Caleb, was checking the water on a ranch several miles away. He accidentally stepped close to one, and he was bitten on the back of his leg. He called 911, drove several miles to connect with the ambulance, which then drove several miles to meet a helicopter on the highway to transport him to a hospital 150 miles away. He is okay, praise the Lord. The doctors were able to administer antivenom to him. His leg is black and swollen where the snake bit him. He was the first person most of the hospital staff had ever had to treat for a snake bite. He is the second person we know in this valley who has been bitten. The first person was a friend of ours, who specializes in rattlesnakes, and he did something he knew he shouldn’t when he was working with one. This has all of us on high alert to watch for snakes.
As I sit here this morning, my heart is full of praise and thanksgiving, that even though the snakes are around us, we are still safe. Even though Caleb was bitten, he is doing well. We have a healthy respect for them, but we cannot live in fear. Our eyes may be looking out for the snakes, but our hearts are focused on the One who keeps us safe. Psalm 121:5-8 says, “The Lord watches over you-the Lord is your shade at your right hand will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Besides physical snakes, what other snakes should we watch out for that can do harm to us? How about the snakes of unforgiveness, hatred, complaining, ungratefulness, gossip, whatever our attention has that brings harm to our souls, and our relationships? As we fix our eyes on Yeshua and what is important to Him, we will walk in His love and peace. He has promised that He will never leave or forsake us. As we abide in Him and keep His commandments, He will live in us.
My prayer is that we will be watchful of the snakes around us, and that we keep our eyes and hearts fixed on Yeshua, who gives us life, joy, peace and blessing.
