What is your snake story?
If you are ever in a con versation that needs ener gy to it, just mention one of your snake stories. It seems almost everyone has snake stories, some more than others, and usually people will love to talk about their encounters. I grew up in Florida, a state that is overpopulated with reptiles, especially snakes. I loved to find them and take them with me to show off to others. I once put a black snake in my sister’s bedroom that earned me one of the worst whippings my mother ever gave to me. I also put a black snake in my locker at school that somehow found its way into the girl’s locker beneath mine. I even caught one inside a church before the service and took it home where it jumped out and went into our sewer pipe under the mobile home we lived in.
However, of all the stories and experiences I have regarding snakes, my favorite one took place here in Hartselle. Two young boys came into the church where I pastored and went straight to our secretary to tell them they could not cross a bridge behind the church because their path was blocked by an anaconda. Now, our secretary was deathly afraid of snakes, but she knew I wasn’t, so she sent them to me. They asked me if I would come and remove or kill the anaconda so they could get over the bridge. I was very curious about what kind of snake it was, so I left my study and went out to the bridge, only to find a very large rat snake.
I removed the snake from the bridge and told the boys they could pass. One of them asked me if they could throw rocks at the snake to try and kill it. Not wanting the snake to be killed, I simply said, “You can try, but do you want the snake to come and attack you for throwing rocks at it.” “No,” they said, and hurried on their way.
The Bible has some interesting snake stories. However, my favorite snake story is found at the end of the Bible, when one day an angel will come with a huge chain and seize the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and put him in the Abyss. That’s a snake story we can all enjoy.
