I killed a snake today!

This week I had the blessing of helping a friend prepare for her annual plant sale. We have alot in common and so we had a delightful time talking, laughing, and working. While we were talking on Thursday afternoon, her daughter came up to us and said, "Mommy, there is a big snake in our yard. Come and see". Well, we had heard this before many times as she got us to come and see her big blue stuffed snake that she plays with. After two or three times, she realized that we would not leave our work. Finally, out of curiosity, my mom went over to see what she was talking about. There it was - a big brown snake in the middle of the yard. My mom said, "Girls, she is telling the truth." We went over and to our amazement there was a real snake in the yard.

At first, we stood and stared in amazement. Then we decided that we needed to do something since it was not moving. We all looked at eachother and decided that it needed to be killed (especially since it was found just a few feet from the baby's playpen). Bravely, I volunteered. Now, you have to know me. I will do almost anything, but I always need to react in some way. So, my friend got me a shovel to kill the snake. As I prepared myself to make a killing blow on the snake, I gave out a squeal and then killed the snake. Wow, what excitement!
As we went back to work I thought about the spiritual value that the day's adventure had taught us. Sometimes in our spiritual lives we go about our day ignoring the fact that there is a dangerous snake in our front yard. It is ready to strike us, our families, our kids, our friends, or anyone around. We can either act like the snake of sin is not there or we can kill it before it becomes harmful to anyone.
Am I looking for danger around me, or am I just going about each day as if nothing can harm me. Praise the Lord for my sensitive mom. May I be sensitive to the Lord's warnings in my life.