“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”

Proverbs 27:12 ESV

I hadn’t seen a snake in a good long while on the daily walk with my dog, but I always keep a lookout and I always wear my boots. The tall grass and dense undergrowth beside the trail are perfect spots for a snake to hide. Not two nights ago, I thought I saw one while feeding the dog. I screamed, scaring Sweet Husband, for illuminated by a flashlight was a long, black — end of a dog leash.

But yesterday I saw the real thing, a copperhead stretched across the path that the dog and I had just traveled. That shovel-shaped head and Hershey kiss pattern running along its sandstone colored length left no doubt as to what it was. 

My dog had decided to reverse course back down the rocky hill, and we were doing the usual—jogging down the hill—and it was too late to avoid it. I hurdled the snake, while my dog trotted over it, both of us preparing to pick up the pace and gallop down the shady driveway. The snake made no attempt to strike, but we didn’t stay around to give it the opportunity.

Neither should we hang around in situations where we know danger lurks. “Be in the right place doing the right thing,” our parents and teachers would tell us, “and you’ll usually come out all right.” Except we sometimes didn’t do that, and we suffered. 

But we also learned, and from those hard and painful lessons come wisdom. Surely as adults we can make better choices than we did as kids! Yet the reality is we must still make daily decisions to avoid danger. Temptations don’t always lurk in the shadows. They’re often camouflaged, like a copperhead on the trail, and we have to keep our guard up. 

Stay vigilant! If we know that we’re going to encounter danger, keep a good lookout, and avoid it whenever and wherever possible. And like Paul, we can also put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and be better prepared to “take our stand.”

I know one thing: I’ll keep wearing my boots on walks with the dog. Sandals aren’t fit for hurdling copperheads.

Prayer: Father, give me the strength and wisdom to turn away from danger and temptations.