When I was a teenager my parents moved our family from the city to the country. Country living brought with it a certain tranquility, but I wasn’t always prepared to deal with the critters that inhabited these more rural parts. We encountered scorpions, summer tarantulas, and creepy six inch long centipedes with a gazillion legs. Luckily we almost never saw snakes. Almost.
One day my sister, Lorel, and I were going for a walk. As we left the house and traversed across the driveway we almost stepped on one of those country critters. It was a very small snake. Now I know there are snake lovers out there but I really dislike snakes. They just unnerve me. We looked somewhat closely at this little critter and couldn’t quite figure out what kind it was but felt that a live snake was a problem.
I’m not sure who had the brilliant idea, but we decided to trap the snake until our brother Alan could deal with it so we went in the house and got a shoebox. We marched back outside and somewhat hesitantly, but confidently, snapped the box on top of the snake. We were pretty proud of our ingenuity. Just to make sure the snake stayed secure under the box, I put a large rock on top of the box along with a courtesy note that read “snake in box.” We then set out happily on our walk.
When we returned Alan was home and we told him about the snake in the box so he could do the “manly” thing and kill it even though he was a ripe old 11 or so. He was skeptical that us girls really trapped a snake in the box. He casually walked over and took the rock off the box and lifted it. He bent down to get a closer look and he did indeed find a snake. Jumping back, he quickly recognized it as a baby rattlesnake! He killed the snake and then went to find us. He was not amused.
Now we weren’t above playing pranks on our brother, but we didn’t intend to leave a venomous critter for him. Thank goodness he had quick reflexes and was handy with a shovel. He maintains a fierce sense of protectiveness over his family to this day.
As an adult, I realize my foolishness – trapping the snake in a shoebox was probably my idea because I was the older and “wiser” sister. – More importantly, however, I realize God’s grace. How many times am I foolish going through life? Why do I sometimes allow distractions to interrupt my driving? Why did I take that black diamond slope when I’m a relatively inexperienced skier? Why do I ever wonder through parking lots preoccupied with my own thoughts rather than watching for cars? Do my guardian angels get exasperated with me??
I am more than thankful for God’s plentiful, merciful, and truly AMAZING GRACE. He gives it in large and small doses.
The small doses allow us to receive simple joys in life like unexpected courtesies from strangers and glorious sunrises/sunsets that never cease to stir my soul.
The big doses reignite powerful passion in our hearts, such as that which transforms grief/mourning into a new childlike spirit.
Perhaps the sweetest dose of amazing grace is that which allows us to forgive and receive forgiveness. We serve such a generous, grace-filled God! One of my favorite songs has words that mean more to me with each passing year. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.”
And just in case I forgot to tell Alan, “I’m sorry about the snake.”
Noel's Notes 