Puffed Up

A gardener came across a small snake amongst the vegetable plants. It looked lifeless, but when he nudged it with a stick it reacted in a surprising way. The snake began to increase in size. Its head and body swelled up and the snake hissed in anger. It was a puff adder. Some puff adders in Africa are poisonous but in America they are usually harmless. There is a small fish in southern waters that will react in a similar way when caught and hauled out of the water. Undoubtedly it is a defense mechanism given to the adder and the fish by the Creator.

We human beings have a puffed up defense mechanism of our own, but not one that was provided by our Creator. If I pretend to be something I am not, it usually means that I claim to be better at something than is true. Often others can see through that but occasionally we manage to fool them. That is not the case with God. He can easily tell what we are really like inside. Psalm 139 declares that He has searched us and knows us through and through. Fortunately for us He is also gracious and forgiving to those who will acknowledge Him, admit wrongdoing and ask for cleansing.

That puts us on the sunny side,
Henry Wiebe