Our first snake encounter

Today we had our first snake encounter. It was a small snake, but it raised up to strike in the way that snakes in the cobra family do. I did not see it while it was alive, but it was found in our pantry. Praise God that no one was hurt (other than the snake). Here is a photo after its demise. 

Please don't misunderstand. Back in America I did not have a problem with snakes. Most snakes there are not venemous and are actually helpful in controlling the rodent population. In America you can easily identify the venomous ones, and the anti venom is readily available. I even had pet corn snakes twice in my life. 

But it is very different here in Uganda. Most of these snakes are venemous, and those in the cobra family definitely are. There is finally anti venom for cobra bites now available in Jinja (just in recent months). Jinja is about 45 minutes away from our campus. In the past the anti venom was only available in Kampala, which is a few hours away. We are grateful for these advances, but it is my hope that we will never need that resource. 

My change in heart toward snakes reminds me of this passage in Genesis 3. 

So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14, 15 NIV) 

Today this particular serpent's head was crushed, but more importantly, Jesus came, lived a sinless life, took the punishment of my sin upon himself, and rose again from the dead in order to give eternal life to his adopted children. In this way, Jesus crushed the head of the Serpent, Satan. 

I can rejoice and rest in God's loving care for my family both in the way the serpent we met today was crushed and in the way he has redeemed us through the work of Jesus. Our lives are in God's hands and we will trust in his care for us. Here are some of my favorite verses from Romans 8. 

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31, 32 NIV)

So whether we encounter snakes or sickness or sadness, we can rest and trust in our Savior. I am learning to do that more each day as I struggle and grow through daily life experiences here. As a dear friend said, my life here, while full of many joys, is also a "sanctification pressure cooker."