A young girl was trudging along a mountain path, trying to reach
her aunt's
house. It was bitter cold, and the wind cut like a knife. When
she was
within sight of her destination, she heard a rustle at her feet.
Looking
down, she saw a snake. Before she could move, the snake spoke
to her. He
said, "I am about to die. It is too cold for me up here, and I
am freezing.
There is no food in these mountains, and I am starving. Please
put me under
your coat and take me with you."
"No," replied the girl. "I know your kind. You're a
rattlesnake. If I
pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite is poisonous."
"No, no," said
the snake. "If you help me, you will be my best friend. I will
treat you
differently."
The little girl sat down on a rock for a moment to rest and
think things
over. She looked at the beautiful markings on the snake and had
to admit
that it was the most beautiful snake she had ever seen.
Suddenly she said,
"I believe you. I will save you. All living things deserve to
be treated
with kindness."
The little girl reached over, put the snake gently under her
coat and
proceeded toward her grandmother's house. Within a minute, she
felt a sharp
pain in her side. The snake had bitten her.
"How could you do
this to me?"
she cried. "You promised that you would not bite me, and I
trusted you!"
"You knew what I was when you picked me up," hissed the snake as
he
slithered away.
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
1 Peter 5:8