Shoelaces aren’t quite as common now days with the
advent of Velcro and other types of shoe fasteners but once upon a time most
shoes had laces. There were the long raw-hide type for boots, long cotton ones
for sneakers, nice round black ones for dress shoes, etc. I am going to tell you
about a self-propelled shoelace.
When my children were quite young we observed the ritual of afternoon naps and
if Daddy was at home he joined in the observance. I, on the other hand, did not
want to waste time taking a nap. This particular afternoon, everyone was
sleeping while I sat quietly in the living room reading. Finally, I got bored
with all the quiet and decided to see if I could stir up some interest in a
family activity.
Our house had a long hall with 3 bedrooms on one side and another at the end so
when all the doors were closed, the hall was pretty dark; as I walked, I was
watching where I put my feet. That is when I noticed the black shoelace on the
carpet. “Hum,” I wondered. “Why is there a shoelace out here in the hall?” I
figured one of the children had left it there and so I reached down to pick it
up. As soon as my fingers touched that shoelace ---- IT MOVED!!! Shoelaces
aren’t supposed to move, and come to think of it, this particular lace was a bit
bigger in diameter than usual and besides my children’s shoes didn’t HAVE laces.
Then my brain kicked in and I started to scream – LOUDLY. 4 bedroom doors
opened, and four pairs of eyes peered out to see why Mom was making such a fuss.
It was soon apparent that the shoelace was my oldest son’s newest garter snake.
HORRORS! Shudder, shudder!
My son had a good terrarium for his reptiles but this one was much smaller than
the previous ones and it politely (or impolitely?) slithered out through the
wire top of the terrarium, down the side of the desk, onto the carpet and under
the door out into the hall. Well, I WAS looking for some excitement! My children
and my husband enjoyed my ‘adventure’ and looking back, it was rather funny.
What with me screaming and everyone else looking on in amazement.
You’ve heard the expression “snake in the grass” which means something bad among
the good things. In my opinion that little snake was a very bad thing.
The Bible talks about snakes. There was the snake (serpent) in the Garden of
Eden. The serpent deceived Eve in the Garden when she disobeyed God and wandered
away from Adam’s side. Genesis 3 1-6 KJIIV. God cursed the serpent that was host
to Lucifer aka Satan. Genesis 3:14 KJIIV “And the Lord God said to the serpent,
Because you have done this you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than
every animal in the field. You shall go upon your belly, and you shall eat dust
all the days of your life”.
In Exodus 7:10, God instructed Aaron to throw his shepherd’s crook (rod) onto
the ground during the time when Pharaoh didn’t want to let the Children of
Israel leave Egypt and that dead rod became a living snake.
The Children of Israel murmured and complained in the wilderness until God sent
a plague of snakes and many of the people were bitten and even died. God told
Moses to put up a statue of a snake and if the people would look at that statue
they would be healed. The statue was a symbol of God and his healing power. You
can read this story in (Numbers 21:5-9)
Jesus also asks, “…Or if he (his son) ask for a fish, will he give him a snake?
(Matthew 7:10)
All through God’s Word there are references to snakes and most of them are
pretty negative. Snakes once were beautiful creatures and some of them are still
quite striking. My son’s little garter snake was totally harmless; but for
generations people, myself included, have feared snakes and don’t want to be
near them. As you read this story today, I hope you will let it remind you of
how Jesus can turn things as scary as snakes into something good. He can do the
same thing with the problems in your life as well!
Wynona Gordon
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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