Fears

Everyone has them. Or at least that's what I like to tell myself.

I'm not that scared of the dark, though you likely wouldn't believe that if you ever watched me get the mail after dark. I can walk ever so leisurely to the mailbox, but turning around to come back to the house? You have never seen anyone run so fast.

Did I just admit that on a public blog?

I'm really not scared of thunderstorms, but neither do I exactly like them. It's not the thunderstorm itself, it's the tornados that can come along with the storm. And no. To answer your question I have never experienced a tornado.

I'm really not scared of rats and mice. Sure, they're disgusging and I better never find them in my house, but they don't really scare me. Just gross me out.

I'm not scared of spiders. Truly, I'm not. Ask Will. He calls for me every time he sees one to get me to come squish it. However, if Jason is home, I am the one calling for him to come squish the disgusting little creatures.

I'm not scared of water, though I don't really enjoy doing water related things. Perhaps that's because I don't know how to swim.

However, there is one thing that I guess you could say that I am scared of. The one thing that used to make me count pages in my science book to see where we would be learning about these creatures. I would then take a sticky note and, through my squinted eyes, place the paper over the pictures so I wouldn't have to look at them.

Snakes. Just seeing that word typed there sends shivers up and down my spine and made me pick up my feet to place them on my chair.

I think my fear of them started back in first or second grade. One balmy day my whole grade headed into the library to listen to some fella talk about something. I don't even remember what he was talking about. What I do remember is seeing the five gallon orange jug sitting on the table beside him. The label on the jug said 'lemonade'. At the end of the talk the man asked us who all liked lemonade. Of course, we all did. He opened the lid of the jug and pulled out his pet snake...who was named lemonade.

To this day, I don't care for lemonade. It just makes me think of that snake and the terror I felt when that man carried him around for us to touch.

Seriously. The creepy things terrify me.

I live at the wrong place. Make that, I've lived at the wrong house my whole 7 years and nine months of married life.

Both houses that we've lived at have an abundance of snakes. Perhaps God is trying to get me to conquer my fears. If so, it's slowly working.

Granted, I don't believe that snakes will ever be my favorite thing. I don't believe that I will ever see one without jumping.

But. I'm getting used to them.

Soon after we were married I was mowing the yard. I was doing pretty good, singing and mowing, when I rounded a corner and there was a snake lying in my path. I decided to be brave. I kept on going...until the nasty thing reared up on it's hind legs and stuck his tongue out at me. I can still picture it. You didn't know that snakes had hind legs? I'm sure this one did. He was huge. Like a foot long.

You have never seen a girl and a mower move so fast. I had bare feet and the last thing I wanted was that snake getting my toes. The mower and I ended up out in the middle of the yard. We left a wide berth around the venomous little creature and parked the mower in front of the garage. There the mower sat until my dear husband came home at the end of the day. At that point, I informed him that I would not be mowing again until that snake was gone. By then the snake had disappeared and poor Jason had to finish mowing the yard.

And. Oh yeah. We had a riding mower. Looking back, I don't think that snake was going to do too much damage to me. I likely could have gotten rid of him myself and never known it.

Not too long after the mower incident, I spotted a snake under a step at the back of our house. I called Jason and told him to expect to kill a snake immediately upon arrival home for lunch.

I kept my eye on that little fella and he waited, all curled up, on Jason's arrival. Then. Jason took a shovel to him. I'll never forget it. I didn't watch, but that day? I didn't eat any lunch. It was tator tot casserole. I still don't really care for tator tot casserole.

I found snake skins in my garden at that house.

I had a surprise encounter with one in our back porch at that house. Yes, he was inside my house. That time, I tried to be brave enough to put a bowl over the top of him (just til Jason got home and could take care of him) but he slithered away into a nearby closet. I kept my eye on him until Jason got home that night.

When we moved to this place, I hoped that there would be no snakes, but that hope was quickly dashed. Every summer I see many of them, and every summer I chase them with the lawn mower. I know, I know. They are good. They eat insects and stuff. But I don't like them and I feel no remorse at having admitted that I chase them down to mow over them.

Just for the record, they are faster in mid-summer than they are in the spring or fall. What a great little piece of information for you.

Anyway. I saw my first snake of the season last Saturday when I was mowing the yard. He startled me. My spine started crawling...kind of like it is right now just remembering it. And then I was really brave and just parked the mower over the top of him. (Yes, the blades were on) He slipped right out from under the mower and I didn't see him again.

I couldn't believe it. The mower didn't do it's job and now I have to watch out for the little guy every time I step out the door.

So what's the point of all these snake stories?

I have a question for you. Do you really think that God intends for us to like snakes? Do you think that He expects us to be really impressed with them? I know. He made snakes too, but for some reason I have to wonder if He wants us to love them.

Afer all, it was a serpant in the garden who tempted Eve.

For some reason every time I see a snake (after the back tingling and the little startled jump) I have to think that God put the slithery little creature in my path to remind me of Satan. To remind me that Satan is just like that snake, sneaky and slithery.

Satan can creep into my life quietly. SO quietly that sometimes I don't even realize that he is there.

I have to wonder if maybe it would be best that I don't get used to seeing snakes. If maybe it would be best if they keep reminding me of Satan. Satan is not someone that we need to get used to seeing in our lives. The mere name alone should be enough to send shivers up and down our spines.

Perhaps that is why God continues to place them in my path. It is His little reminder to me to keep my eyes peeled for Satan and his wily ways.

I dread the day one of my children sticks one in his pocket. I have heard of that happening.

And. I apologize that I have no pictures to show you of all my encounters with snakes. Actually, I don't apologize. I don't have a clue how folks can actually stand there long enough to take a picture of a snake. I admit. Even a picture of one makes my skin crawl.