Last night, our precious almost three-year old, Iliana, let out a hysterical cry around 12:30 a.m. Daddy rushed to get her. He thought she said, “I got sick in my bed” but what she really was saying was “There’s a snake in my bed.” She really hasn’t woken up before because of bad dreams, but I think she’s at that age where she’s starting to. I also woke up to comfort her and began wondering why on earth she’d think that and then I remembered; we are reading through her children’s Bible every night. A few weeks ago, my husband Shawn told me that she asked several questions about the garden like: “Why was the snake in the garden? Who let the snake in?” So, I think that must of been on her mind as she shrieked and sobbed about the snake in her bed. She woke up again around 1:30 a.m. saying the same thing.
I couldn’t help but wondering what snakes are in bed with us, what snakes have invaded our gardens. Are we aware or unaware of them? If you saw the movie, the Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson creatively and not too far fetchedly portrayed the snake, the deceiver, in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus. The ancients and other wise saints also know that the closer one follows Jesus the more temptations one has–the more one is tempted by Satan and his minions. Of course, he wants to take down those who are advancing the Kingdom of God–his faithful ones. Temptation and affliction aren’t always because of sin in us. Remember Job?