What is that?

The first snake of the season bit the dust last week thanks to yours truly. Yes, it has begun. It has been a beautiful and enjoyable fall, winter, and spring of cool to cold weather. I have loved letting my guard down a bit. Our guards have been back up for the past month or so with warmer weather, but I honestly did not anticipate seeing one of my enemies this soon.

I was driving on our road, perhaps a half of a mile up from the house. All three kids were in the car with me. We all spotted it in the road at about the same time. We drove up pretty close and took a good look. We needed to see if it was a rattler or a bull snake. The head was kind of turned where we couldn't see it, so we looked at the skin and the tail. It was a little hard to tell (we are a bit out of practice since our last rattler was August 25), but the consensus was that it was more likely a rattler than not. The skin was dull and the tail appeared to have rings. I used my signature vehicular snake-acide move and backed up, drove forward and slammed on my brakes when on top of the snake. It worked like a charm. There was no question that the snake had met its demise.

Unfortunately, we were able to now examine him better and realized that he was a bull snake. There are defense mechanisms that this harmless snake uses that are not to its benefit. A bull snake will even pretend to shake its "rattle" and coil up and reshape its head to look triangular. I suppose that that may help in the animal kingdom, but with this human it backfires. There is such a similarity that I couldn't tell in the time of decision. It was a good refresher on the looks of the bull versus the rattler for the beginning of our snaky season.

I was saddened that I had killed what is supposed to be a "good" snake. It did, however, make me stop and think about a life lesson. What am I trying to emulate or imitate? What is it that I think will help me survive but is actually leading me into more danger? Sometimes I think we can get sucked into the world and its glitter and can begin to want to look like others-- in our dress, hair, speech, attitude, lifestyle, and even priorities and drives. It is subtle--- so subtle. Before we know it, we are a bull, but we are looking like a rattler.

We have to be careful who or what we are aspiring to look like. We are clothed with Christ's righteousness if we belong to Him. Our person to be looking more and more like is Jesus. May there be no mistake when others look at us in our everyday life on the road. I hope they don't have to stop and debate- "is she good? is she deadly? what is she?" May there be no question that I am who I am because of Christ and that my life is hidden in Him.

Colossians 3:1-3 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

Strange? Yes, but I have seen it before.

We have had the privilege of experiencing many, many new and odd things as we have lived our first year on the prairie. This past two weeks have brought with them a new found and wonderful familiarity. For the first time I began experiencing things I had seen before. We have come full circle and are back where we began.

There was a sweet smell in the air when I walked to the mailbox. Then I noticed that some small purple flowers (weeds) are cropping up in the yard just like last year. I have a vase of them in my kitchen window right now thanks to my sweet babies. The fruit trees are budding with deep pink blossoms-- and I know the bees will follow in the next few days. I cleaned out the flower beds and there are things that I planted last year coming back! As I stirred up the soil/manure I remembered the flies. Guess what? They appeared out of nowhere in the next hour!

The twenty plus turkeys have reappeared at exit 87 in the field alongside the interstate. The blue birds are back, and so are the yellowish kind of bird that was Ben's favorite last year. It sings a beautiful melody over and over and over again. The magpies have returned to their favorite bush (we call it the magpie bush of course) just down the road from our house. The mule deer are back, and the white tails have become scarce. The cows are having their babies and we see mom and calf pairs in the fields.

Hold on to your hat (literally)----the spring winds are back. They never totally left, but they are certainly stronger and more frequent. We had a warm and balmy strong wind two days ago and today it is cold as ice cutting through my jacket like a knife. I am confident that they will remain "as long as there is snow on the mountain." And speaking of snow, I was not surprised to have nearly a foot of snow expected today after temperatures in the lower 80s two days ago. We had two or three big snows last year in April and May--- weird but familiar.

The cycle of life has made another revolution and with it comes a new familiarity and appreciation. In a life of many, many unknowns, it is a relief to have "known" things to cling to. I don't know why those weird turkeys like exit 87, but I like that I can be confident that I will see them there.

When I have no idea what is coming or how situations will affect me and those I love, I can cling to the familiar and the known. I can cling to the promises of Christ in scripture. I can cling to Christ himself. He is unchanging as we walk through the changing seasons of life. He is a comfort. He is familiar and amazing. He gives me strength to face the flies, bees, and yes... the snakes that crop up among the purple flowers and beautiful songbirds' melodies.

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through him who gives me strength."