I remember babysitting a family with three young children when I was about 15 years old. It was a nice summer day and we decided to play outside on their backyard swing set. I pushed the two oldest girls on the swing set, when the six-year-old oldest sister (typically the calmest of the bunch) started shrieking.
"IT'S...A...SNAKE!!!" she screamed and pointed at the grass nearby.
I looked down and saw a little garter snake. Some of you will be totally shocked by this (since I'm kind of a girly girl)...but I grew up playing "fort" in the woods with my sisters and a neighborhood boy. And I'm not afraid of garter snakes.
"It's all right," I told her, "Those kind are harmless and it's not going to bother us over here."
She kept on screaming and did this hyperventilating thing that kids tend to do when they're on the verge of tears, "But it's a cursed animal!!!"
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"God cursed a snake in the Bible!" she said. "In the story about Adam and Eve!"
I couldn't argue with that (or the three kids who were getting a bit distraught). We went inside. :)
I thought about this story from my past as I read today about Paul's snake bite (NOT from a garter snake!) and shipwreck experience. Crazy. I can't imagine one guy...one good, God-focused guy...going through all that stuff (and more). But so much good came out of those experiences. People saw God in those situations.
Perhaps what I loved most about today's reading was its simple ending. Here's what it said about Paul:
He welcomed everyone who came to visit.
He urgently presented
all matters of the kingdom of God.
He explained everything
about Jesus Christ.
His door was always open.
These sentences are simple and brief (especially after the dramatic shipwreck and snake bite stories that precede them!). They show a great picture of Paul and his time in Rome--actually modeling what Christians today should be (not just do): welcoming people, sharing the story of Jesus and keeping open doors, hearts and lives to God and to others...well...maybe with the exception of snakes. :)
Tomorrow: Romans 1-3
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