Snake Patrol

My grandparents weren’t much for having animals. There was the occasional snake that popped up (just ask my aunt), but for the most part, they focused on their garden. The Andrews lived next door to my grandparents. They had a German Shepherd named Bear and a chicken coop. I remember one day being taken to see the chicken coop. I don’t know if I’d ever been to the chicken coop before then, but I’m sure I probably had been over there at some point. I don’t remember, either, ever actually seeing chickens in the coop. What I saw that one day, however, is something I’ll never forget.

The bottom of the chicken coop probably stood about nose-high to my five- or six-year-old self. The legs were made out of wood, and I don’t recall there being anything under the coop at all. Looking inside the coop, rather than seeing cute baby chicks, I gazed upon one very well-fed snake. I don’t know much about chicken brains and how they operate, but I think if I were one of those chicks, I wouldn’t have seen that snake coming. I wouldn’t have even known what a snake was, much less that I should try to get away.

When Satan appeared in the form of a serpent to Eve in the Garden of Eden, I’m not sure she saw what was coming, either. Apparently she wasn’t frightened by normal serpents or she would have run away, one would think, but a talking serpent? You’d think that would definitely be cause for concern. As I read the account in Genesis, I want to yell out at the page, “Don’t fall for it, Eve! Run away! The talking serpent is up to no good!” Unfortunately, we all know what happens.

I think Eve and the chickens in the coop that day are like us, sometimes. It is when we drop our guard that sin creeps in. Eve paid for that mistake – not only was she banned from the Garden of Eden along with Adam, but she also got painful childbirth as a result. The chickens weren’t as lucky. We should always guard our minds so that we are not duped by temptation. Solomon advises, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23, NKJV). What are you doing to keep up your guard?