When you’re sound asleep at a quarter till midnight, and your 22yr. old son knocks at your bedroom door yelling for his dad, well, let’s just say the mind goes to a lot of unsettling places looking for an answer to what’s wrong. After adjusting to being awakened so rudely, we responded to his frantic rapping on the door with a somewhat annoyed, “What Steven?” I was NOT expecting his reply of, “There’s a snake at the door…inside the house…I need some help!” It is amazing how quickly those words bring you to your senses. We hurriedly dressed and rushed down stairs. Yep, sure enough, there it was…a very disturbed snake trying to get away from an equally disturbed Steven, wielding our barbeque tongs. Scott got a mop handle and joined his effort to get the critter out of the house. What ensued was somewhat reminiscent of Lucy and Ethel from an “I Love Lucy” episode. I had no idea my son had such agility? He displayed a great sense of balance as he jumped and perched on a chair while trying to lean over and capture the intruding snake. I also had no idea his voice could still reach such a high pitch.
Scott soon took command of the situation and proceeded to bark instructions while simultaneously attempting to pin the snake down with his mop. Steven had a mid-crisis epiphany. As Scott was yelling at /encouraging him to move in to grasp the snake with his tongs, Steven suddenly noticed the difference between their weapons of choice and proximity to the snake. Realizing his dad was giving him instructions from the safety of a long mop handle, compared to the relatively short barbeque tongs, Steven began to protest his part in the snake capture. Steven, at last, grabbed hold of the snake’s writhing body. As it coiled up the tongs, and also his arm, girlish cries of “it’s touching me, it’s touching me” echoed through the house. The snake would enjoy a short victory as he freed himself from the tong’s “jaws of death”. Ultimately father and son prevailed and the snake was ceremoniously ushered out of the house.
Later that night, as the adrenalin eased out of my system, I laid in bed thinking through a host of “what if’s”. What if Steven had not seen the snake? What if someone had been bitten? What if they had not caught it? What if it came back? What if there were more? Encounters such as this are startling reminders that we live in a world where “what if’s” abound and anything can happen. If I am going to sleep in the midst of my “what if’s” I am going to need the peace king David found by trusting God.
“Thou hast put gladness in my heart,…in peace I will both lie down and sleep, for Thou alone O Lord, dost make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:7-8
I like how he distinguished BOTH to lie down AND to sleep. He did not just tentatively lay back in bed with wide eyed anxiety…he totaly rested knowing God had his safe keeping
Tuesday With Teri 
OK TERI, I KNOW WE AR SUPPOSED TO SET ASIDE THE HILARITY OF THE STORY AND GET THE MESSAGE ,BUT AT THIS POINT I JUST CAN’T STOP LAUGHING. I AM COMPLETELY WATCHING THIS SCENARIO PLAY OUT IN MY HEAD. THE VISUAL IS TOO MUCH.
MAYBE I WILL COME BACK LATER AND TRY TO GET TO THE MESSAGE PART.
I JUST LOVE YOU AND YOUR COMPLETE ABILITY TO WRITE A STORY SO WELL IT IS AS IF WE ARE AT A TABLE TOGETHER AND YOU ARE TELLING ME THE STORY IN PERSON.
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I love the phrase “for Thou alone O Lord.” We do indeed dwell in safety and security. May we grow in contentment and our ability to rest in the moment our God has ordained for us.
I saw the video – it will make for years of good storytelling!
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Only God has a sense of humor like this! I will bet He enjoyed the incident Himself knowing very well that you would be able to share it with others and getting across a beautiful point for trusting in Him no matter what the situation.
I love Tuesdays with Teri! I get a good dose of God’s Word and a great story that brings healing Laughter to my life.
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Okay, (A) I was a little ashamed to leave a comment about how totally hilarious this was and how I got the message, but the story was SO great and (2) I can really relate.
My husband of 39 years and I have come to an agreement. I go to sleep in the bed with him but I will be leaving sometime in the night because he snores awfully. I’m finding we have some really huge spiders here in SC. I found one in our second bedroom 3 days ago. I’ve spent every complete night with Steve since. I guess it’s either that or keep revisiting David’s Psalms. Thanks for the really great laugh.
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Oh my, Teri!!! I’m impressed that in the excitement of the moment you remembered to snap a photo! I can so picture Steven and Scott battling the slithering serpent. And of course that makes me think of my Scott’s battle with the snake and the fountain last year…
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I could not stop laughing through-out the whole story. It was so vivid in my mind, just like a movie. I would give anything if I could have been there. Teri, I really enjoy “Tuesday with Teri. I enjoy your stories and how you weave them into the gospel message you have for us that day. I can definitely see you writing devotional books. I know I don’t have comments every time, but be assured I am reading your stories and enjoying them very much. You are so talented and this is just what you should be doing with your life at this time. Love Ya! Grammie
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A true blogger always remembers her camera!
I lose a ton of sleep worrying about the ‘what ifs’ in my life. This is a great reminder for me to ease back into the Father’s arms and REST.
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OM MY! Scripture or not….UGH!
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I hate snakes; however, I do love the fact that God can bring us joy in spite of the “snakes” in our lives. Thank you for sharing this scripture it’s a great reminder of God’s constant care for us and the source of our joy.
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