Some Reflections from the Snake Room
Our family loves the zoo. When we lived in Phoenix, the expansive zoo provided fun and space for our three boys who have more energy than a day requires. The Phoenix Zoo offers numerous animals to check out and yet, inevitably the first place our boys always wanted to go was the snake room. The dark, narrow hallway amplifies the creepiness of the creatures. You slowly walk down the hallway and peer in through the glass at the snakes which usually sleep in coils.
Put yourself into that room in your mind, a long row of the various snakes of Arizona to observe. As a veteran of this room, I can tell you that almost every snake in Arizona is venomous. The boys love the room and I hate it. I do not want to see long the skin they shed. I do not want to notice the differences in the coloring from the diamondback rattlesnake and the speckled rattlesnake. I simply want to get through the room so I can get to the prairie dogs. (The snakes likely share that sentiment.)
Over the scores of visits to the snake room I have some reflections on snakes, my boys, and the nature of fear.
Snakes are Creepy
Snakes really are a creepy animal. They slither—what a word for how they move. The movement, the look, and the venom make it clear that the curse is real. God cursed the serpent in Genesis 3. You can feel the curse today. Yes, we feel it in many ways today. But the simple nature of the curse is seen in the snake itself. And since God says there will be hostility between snakes and men, I have no desire to see positives in such creepy creatures.
Boys will be Boys
I do not understand it. Maybe I should since I was there at age at one point. My boys are fascinated by creepy and gross things. The willingness to tolerate such nastiness shows the courage and strength God weaves into a young man’s heart.. So, I am glad they have the beginnings of courage. I pray that the Lord will use that in the years ahead to grow them from boys who are not scared of creepy things to men who are not scared of the hard things in life. There are far greater problems and terrors in this life than snakes, may God grant them the courage to take on the greater troubles the way they joyfully jump to see these terrible creatures.
Fear
The greatest lesson my sons taught me in the snake room is one about fear. They do not fear the snakes in the snake room. The last time we visited the Mojave Rattlesnake was awake and moving. Our three year old ran over, smashed his round face against the glass and said, “Look daddy, it’s moving!” The same snake, that if I came upon it on a hike would cause me to jump and run, was enthralling for them. Why don’t they fear the snake that is moving? They do not fear because the snake was under control. The danger contained. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus tells his disciples not to fear those who will try to kill them. Instead to fear God, the one who can destroy body and soul. How can one handle great fear? By trusting the sovereign God controls all things. God is in control of all things. He is in control of the body and the soul, the heavens and the earth. So, much like my sons in the snake room, we can live for him without fear because we trust in the God who is in control.
