By Jeff Scoggins

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” –1 Peter 5:8

I married a Minnesotan. I call Tennessee home because that’s where my relatives live. Whenever I’m visiting Tennessee and someone mentions Minnesota the conversation steers immediately to the weather. “That’s where it gets soooo cold!” they say. And after a winter like this one who can blame them. To warm weather Southerners, that is all Minnesota is—cold. Very, very cold. The implication is that the weather makes Minnesota unfit for habitation by anything but penguins and polar bears for nine months out of the year; though, everyone admits that the short summers are beautiful.

On the other hand, when I’m visiting my wife’s family and the South is mentioned, I often find the conversation steers to snakes. “That’s where you have poisonous snakes!” they say. The implication is that there are pit vipers under every rock, crawling into your boots during the night, hiding in your bed, intentionally seeking victims to terrorize.

I now live in Minnesota and have experienced both sides of the equation, and I’m here to tell you Minnesota winters aren’t as bad as Southerners think nor are poisonous snakes as bad as Minnesotans think.

That said, it is true that when you live in either place one must make small life adjustments for weather and snakes respectively. That’s why I now carry a few emergency items in my truck in case I’m stranded in cold weather: matches, emergency blanket, hat, gloves, snacks, a small New Testament. For my wife, Becky, carrying these items in her vehicle constituted no adjustment at all. This was normal life for her and she does it without thinking. Doing so does not make her more concerned about the cold. It’s just instinct.

However, she also had to make a small adjustment when we lived in an area of Maryland with poisonous snakes. She had to learn to watch where she stepped. Out of habit, even in Minnesota, I never step over a log or move a large rock or reach my hand into a dark place without checking for snakes. I do it without thinking. Doing so does not make me more concerned about snakes. It’s just instinct.

I suppose that until I actually get stranded in a blizzard I will be a little cavalier about carrying a payload of cold weather supplies in my truck. So I can hardly blame Becky for being less careful than I about snakes. I can understand. Thinking about poisonous snakes all the time rather than relying on instinct to avoid them, actually causes concern. Concern can ruin an otherwise pristine day. So even while living near them Becky didn’t think about poisonous snakes all that much. Until one day.

We were walking a trail around a small lake. The trail wound through trees and was littered with sticks and forest debris. As always without thinking I kept one eye on the trail for any “stick” that might not be a stick at all. That’s why I saw a well-camoflaged copperhead just before Becky stepped on him. Not having time to warn her I simply stuck out my arm and held her back. I grabbed a stick and poked the snake, which suddenly bounded to life. Becky inhaled loudly then began to run backward as the snake slithered and even jumped quickly toward her. I’m convinced the snake was just heading downhill because that’s the direction he was facing, but Becky remains convinced that the serpent chased her.

It’s never smart to get so used to snakes or cold that you forget about them. Snakes don’t get less poisonous by forgeting them. Minus 40 doesn’t get less dangerous because you are used to it. Living safely with snakes and cold requires habitual vigilance. So does living in close proximity to the Serpent who would like nothing better than to make your relationship with God grow cold. He actually is looking for victims to terrorize.

Copyright 2008 by Jeff Scoggins

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