Dr. Mary C. McDonald
If you hear of a contest in the “Well, what did you expect?” category, let me know, I have the winner. I read an article in the newspaper about a man who was almost squeezed to death by his pet snake. Somehow, the boa constrictor worked its way out of its cage in the man’s bedroom and wrapped itself around its sleeping owner. The startled man was awakened by the intense pressure as the snake continued to squeeze. His screams alerted his wife who managed to save her husband by killing the snake. The man expressed his sadness and disbelief at the snake’s behavior. He was quoted as saying, “He was my friend. What did he do that for?” Friend or not, it was a snake. What did the guy expect?
The article reminded me of a tale I heard years ago, a tale that has, on more than one occasion, allowed me to recognize the contradictions that surround us everyday. A young girl was walking through the woods on a cold winter day when she heard a voice call out, “Girl, help me! She looked down and saw a snake at her feet. The snake cried out, “Please help me. The ground is frozen and I am cold. If I stay down here I will freeze to death. Please pick me up and put me under your coat. It is warm there.” The girl looked at him and said, “No, I cannot pick you up, you are a snake. If I put you under my coat you will bite me and I will surely die.” “No”, said the snake, “I will not bite you, I promise. I just want to stay warm, and travel through the woods with you. I am so cold”. The girl looked with pity at the snake. He seemed so harmless as he shivered on the cold ground. Although she knew better, she felt sorry for the snake. In the emotion of the moment, she gave in to his pleas. “Alright”, she said, “ I’ll take you with me and keep you warm. But remember your promise.” So the girl picked up the snake and drew him to her to keep him warm. As she wrapped her coat around him, the snake bit her. She fell to the ground. As her life slipped away, she cried to the snake, “ Why did you bite me? You promised you would not hurt me. You lied to me.” “What did you expect?” the snake hissed as he slithered away. “You knew I was a snake when you picked me up.”
It happens. Everything we know, all that we believe, is often tested in the only way and in the only time and place available to us. Our test is not in what we believe, but in our response to the contradiction in the present moment, to the temptation before us. What is it that we pick up? What do we draw to us that could corrupt us spiritually, morally, physically or psychologically? Who do we trust not to harm us? What situations do we put ourselves in that will only serve to destroy us? What do we do that makes us less than who we are? How do we rationalize that our destructive associations really won’t hurt us or that bad habits are easy to break? Even the perceived comfort of the status quo can fool us into believing that we are in control. Even our best intentions can deceive us. What snakes have we picked up that seek only to steal our spirit, to destroy our families, our children, our community, our world? What is in our society that lures us with lies? How do we keep the snakes at bay?
It is difficult to trust in the unseen when we would rather believe what we see and hear in front of us, even if it is a snake. It is our nature to be comfortable in a world we create for ourselves. Yet it is through that transparent humanity that our light shines brightest. Our struggles are most clearly seen in the light of faith. It is that faith that gives us the wisdom to judge what we see and experience in the light of what we believe. It is faith that takes over when our best efforts fail. We cannot eliminate the contradictions in our world. But faith allows us to understand that they exist and that we can live among them without letting them destroy us. What seems like a good thing could be evil. What appears to be counter-culture could be right. It is God’s hand that steadies us when we are weakened, or made vulnerable, by the contradictions in our world. He breaks through our routine to remind us that we are ultimately dependant only upon Him. No matter how many snakes cross our path, He gives us the wisdom to see them for what they are, the strength and courage not to pick them up and the grace to draw to ourselves only Him.
