By Sandy Kirby Quandt

While continuing my research on World War II, several comments about Josef Stalin have caused me to ponder the alignment between Britain and the United States with Russia.

As I pondered, the story of The Girl and the Snake popped into my mind. Perhaps you’ve heard the tale.

A young girl climbs a mountain and notices a snake at the side of the path. The snake tells her the mountain is too cold, and he is about to die. He asks the girl to place him inside her coat where it is warm, and carry him down the mountain so he can live.

At first the girl refuses. “You’re a poisonous snake. If I pick you up, you’ll bite me and I’ll die.”

“No. No. I wouldn’t do that to you. If you help me, I’ll be your friend. I won’t hurt you.”

After thinking it over for awhile, the girl agrees. The snake did seem friendly. It looked attractive. The girl didn’t want to appear heartless. He promised, after all.

What harm could come?

So, she picked up the snake and snuggled it inside her coat.

Once the girl reached the bottom of the mountain, she felt a sharp pain beneath her coat. Noticing the snake had bit her, she asked how he could do such a thing.

“You knew what I was when you picked me up,” the snake hissed as he slithered away.

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

So I’m thinking…How many times are we tricked by lies? We surround ourselves with things we know we shouldn’t because we’ve believed lies?

We spend time with people who are toxic. We mess with substances that are harmful. We put things into our bodies that are deadly.

We know what they are, but pick them up anyway. We know the damage that can result. Yet we foolishly believe we’ll be the exception. We’ll be the one who conquers the beast. We’ll be the one who isn’t harmed. We believe the lies we tell ourselves.

I don’t believe God wants us to be tricked like the girl who picked up the snake. Do you? I believe he wants us to listen to his truth. Not the lies of the world.

I believe God wants us to choose wisely who we’ll spend time with. What we align ourselves with. What we read. What we watch. Where we go.

I believe he wants us to choose wisely how we treat our bodies and what we put into them. I believe he wants us to follow his guidelines for our lives. I believe he wants us to let him lead us through this life on the paths we should go.

What do you believe?

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Can a man hold fire against his chest and not be burned? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? Proverbs 6:27-28 (TLB)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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