There is no other sound quite like that of the rattlesnake’s rattle.
A high-pitched ch-ch-ch-ch-shhzzzzzzzzttt-t-t fills the air.
Hearing this, you become instantly alert. Your focus is coiled taut, and any other activity that occupied your mind quickly gives way to this defiant menace in your path.
Our cats stirred up a rattlesnake on a warm spring day, just off our back porch. My husband was at work at the time, so I had to deal with this myself.
Grabbing our .22 single-shot rifle, I opened the screen door and tip-toed closer. I steadied the sight, aimed at the head of this turban mound, and fired.
But I missed by half an inch and gut-shot it instead.
It slithered up a few inches onto the concrete patio (where I didn’t want it to go), and parked itself—curled, angry, and ready to strike.
Because of my concerns with ricochets, I needed to get the snake back onto the dirt somehow before attempting to shoot again. But I was hungry (my breakfast had been interrupted) and I needed to go to the bathroom!
Back inside, I finished breakfast. I even made the beds. All the while, that rattlesnake would not let me forget.
ch-ch-ch-shhzzzzttt-tt-tt-zzzzz
It wasn’t going away, giving up, or planning to die without my intervention.
Kind of like sin in our lives.
Temptation buzzing in our ears. Selfishness rearing its ugly head. Sin ready to strike if we don’t do something about it.
Now.
But thankfully, we are not left to battle alone.
O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. (Psalm 140:7)
God is ever ready to vanquish our sin-foes. But only if we recognize them for what they are and willingly hand them over. Not coddle the snakes in our lives, or worse, poke the snake of temptation with the stick of arrogancy, sure we won’t get bit.
Who in their right mind would play with a rattlesnake?
Sadly, haven’t we all?
For what is the difference if we dismiss the envious thought, the disrespectful roll of our eyes, the ungrateful sigh, or the oh, so, innocent flirt as nothing?
Singly, these things still offend God, they still grieve His Spirit. But unrepentant sin is never barren.
It will swell to produce a writhing nest of ugliness.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:14–15)
The Fight
Back on the porch, the snake lifted its head and lunged for me. Adrenalin rushed and I hastily found fist-sized rocks I could throw at it.
One rock, two (oh, I missed again), and it kept at me.
Heart racing, three, four, then—wham—I nailed it, forcing its retreat.
Once off the porch and onto the dirt, I picked up the rifle, aimed, and shot it in the head. Whew!
Is our battle with sin any less intense, the victory any less noble?
If I had ignored the snake, not only would I have to face it—or one of its kin—another day, but I or my children could have gotten badly hurt.
Nobody wants to step around the corner and get pierced by the fangs of a deadly snake.
Although rattlesnake venom could cause us major injury or death, Satan’s venom is far deadlier. He is crafty, searching for those who insist they are “good” people, caught in a trap of self-delusion. But God says:
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:12)
No matter how far down this Christian road we advance, we are never immune to temptation—the venom our adversary tries to spit our way.
We must stay vigilant, stay humble, and . . .
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:1)
Over the years, my husband and I have taught our children the many dangers of flora and fauna.
As Mighty Man heard once about the Desert Southwest, “If it doesn’t poke you, stick you, scratch you, or sting you, it will probably bite you.”
As parents, teaching children about physical dangers comes naturally. But what is harder, and infinitely more important, is pointing out the more subtle, spiritual dangers that lurk around every corner.
I don’t like to be confronted with rattlesnakes. But as long as I live here, so will they.
I don’t like to be confronted by my own sins either. But as long as I live, I will sin.
Thanks be to God . . .
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Abiding in the Vine,
~ Gleniece
The post “The Snake Would Not Let Me Forget” was first published on Desert Rain.
To stay up to date on all Desert Rain content, consider signing up for my Abide & Blossom newsletter for the weary Christian woman. Thank you!
Would you like to share this post?
Gleniece,
Ahhhh …. this is so good. The storytelling. The imagery. And the connection to our sin. Powerful. So so so powerful. I’ve scheduled it to share on my fb page! Thank you for this and thank you for sharing it at #MomentsofHope!
And just for the record – you are my hero with that gun, those rocks, and that SNAKE! My heart was pounding just reading this!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Oh, Lori, thank you! I’m so glad you liked this and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness in sharing.
These snakes we live with are scary indeed. I’ve had to kill quite a few. I even had one hiding in my Fernleaf dill pot the other day. Yikes.
But the inner snakes are so much more stealthy and dangerous, aren’t they? Thankfully, you and I don’t have to fight them alone.
Thanks for stopping by today, my friend. ?
Wow, Gleniece! What a story! I think it’s interesting that the enemy is snake-like. I have such a fear of those things when I see them slithering by. It’s a reminder to me that I really need to have that same “heart racing fear” of the sin before me. I need to cut it off at the head and be done with it.
Yes! Lyli, you’re so right. Just be done with it! I like that.
Thank you for visiting me today. I’m so thankful to God for sisters like you. ?
This is such an entertaining story and a vital message. Thank you for drawing me into your tale and teaching me the importance of dealing with sin before it sneaks up and bites you. Oh, and I’m glad you won the battle against the rattlesnake. We’ve got those around here too.
Thank you and you’re welcome, Sarah. Yes, these snakes are a real threat around here. I must always stay alert. (You too?). Now if we can be just as alert to the threat of our own sin, right?
Loved that you stopped by today, Sarah. 💕 Have a beautiful evening.
Great analogy, Gleniece! Ugh, I would not like to deal with rattlesnakes, like you have to. But, I do have to battle my sin. Picturing sin as it really is… Something dreaded and scary and toxic helps to motivate us to purge it from our lives. Just like you had to kill the dangerous snake, we must put our sin to death in self defence. You are a beautiful writer!
Oh, how sweet you are. Thank you! And you are so right…”we must put our sin to death in self-defense.”
Glad you stopped by, Kathleen. Have a great day!
Gleniece: This is an excellent share on how sin can snatch us at any moment. I love the visual read and the spiritual read as well. Praise God for letting him use you for his will. 🙂
Hello, Brenda. So glad you enjoyed this. Thank you for following along with me on this faith journey.
May the Spirit of God bless you today. ?
Gleniece, your words echo my own thoughts on sin as I read Romans 7 this morning. That’s the chapter where talks about the battle we all face with sin. Knowing we’re in a battle is key to winning the battle. Abiding in Jesus and allowing Him to fight for us allows us to walk in victory.
By the way I am terrified of snakes and was finally able to exhale when your shot was fatal. You had me worried. Sweet blessings and stay safe, friend. : )
Crystal, I’m so glad this spoke to you. Yes, our continual abiding in Christ will defeat any sin that binds us.
Ooh, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to shoot a rattlesnake around here. But thanks be to God, we’ve never been bitten!
Thanks for visiting me, my friend. I’m always pleased when you stop by. ?
Hi Gleniece, you really got my attention with this one! I absolutely hate snakes — even the innocent garden variety that we have here. But what is sad is that as I read this, I was more afraid of the snake in your story than the sin in my life. Convicting!
Thank you so much for pointing me to the real and present danger in my life so that I can attack it before it kills. And for encouraging me to make my children aware of sin’s slithering ways.
This one came straight from God to me!
Blessings, my friend. Keep sharing His message!
Marva | sunSPARKLEshine
Thank you, Marva.
The snakes in our lives slither silently until-GASP-they’re right in front of us. That’s why we are consistently warned in God’s word to be on guard.
So happy that you stopped by! Have a beautiful day.