Snake!

Tuesday night I was walking back from the gym and noticed quite a large snake lying in my path.  I didn't scream (Yeah for me!) but I did quietly walk to the other Hostel to quickly get some boys to come out and kill it.  Here you say the word "snake" and everyone comes running toward it, not away.  Haha.  Anyways, I am sad to say that the snake got away before we decapitated it.  It was the largest wild snake I have seen here so far.  It could easily eat our new puppy as a snack.  Yikes!

The thing that struck me, was the girls' response.  There was a group of four or five of our dorm girls that wanted to go to the gym.  I was cautioning them about the snake and said that they should just go back inside.  But they were not scared.  They laughed and proceeded to run barefoot through the same grass in the dark to the gym.  No fear.  No worries.  It is just a snake.    It is not going to stand in their way.

Well, to tell you the truth, I would not have acted that way.  I have "snakes" in my life every day.  I wake up in the morning determined to be thankful for this new day that God has given me, ready to "Choose Joy".  But then something comes up-a snake in my path.  Something isn't working right, or a kid responds to me grumpy, or it is raining or we are out of eggs.  And that snake stops me.  It stops my joy.  I would rather stand there and stare at the snake then to run barefoot, laughing right by it. Ugh!  That is exactly how Satan wants me to respond.  And just like the snake, those difficulties, those "joy robbers" are still out there, waiting.  Instead of letting them stand in my way, I need to confidently run right by knowing that God has called me to more than this.  So I can say with all honesty, "No snake,no matter how big, will stand in my way!  I've got joy!" 

Rachel