Boys and Venomous Snakes?

Camping trips were always a highlight of my boyhood and on one of these memorable outings I happened upon a baby bull snake. Like many boys, I was fascinated by snakes, toads, and lizards. I never hesitated to try to catch them, sometimes with success and sometimes not.

This little snake was an easy catch, though it was very feisty once I nabbed it. Not knowing if Mom would approve, I decided to hide my new pet in an empty coffee can until I got home.

Once we were home, I moved my new snake into an aquarium that I placed in my closet. I wasn’t sure what to feed him. I caught bugs and flies but he didn’t seem interested. The only thing he seemed to like doing was hissing and lunging at me anytime I opened the lid to the tank.

I ventured out on my bike to the public library and checked out a book on snakes. I wanted to find out what I should be feeding this aggressive little fiend that I hoped I could tame.

I found the section in the book about bull snakes but after comparing the picture of a baby bull snake with the one in my aquarium I realized that it wasn’t a match. What was it? I thumbed through the book looking for a positive identification and then I found it – a baby rattlesnake!

The picture and description matched “Rattler babies have venom, short fangs and are dangerous from birth. In fact, they are more pugnacious than the adults. Although unable to make a rattling sound, the youngsters throw themselves into a defensive pose and strike repeatedly when disturbed.” I quickly made an executive decision to let it go.

We need to be careful with what we let into our homes whether it’s poisonous snakes or troublesome entertainment habits. Danger doesn’t always come with rattles. Sometimes the greatest threats are the ones that are not perceived as such.

Many parents today don’t see the harm of a generation of young boys growing up with a stunted sense of purpose and passion for life in the real world because they’ve become so accustomed to the unreal world of video games. Adventure is relegated to virtual goals and pseudo accomplishments at the push of buttons and the flicker of pixels. Many of them can’t play a real guitar and they don’t know the real meaning of a hero. They think they can win battles and save the planet from invasion, but can they conquer the dishes in the kitchen or stave off the invasion of godless philosophies into their own hearts and minds?

With all the potential advantages of the internet, have we accurately counted the cost when 90% of children between the ages of 8-16 have been exposed to pornography online (most of them while innocently doing homework)?

Appropriate entertainment in moderation is not an ominous danger. Not all snakes are poisonous. Yet our culture consistently demonstrates its tendency to be too careless about entertainment. It can become a nasty brood of little venomous snakes that rob time, captivate hearts, diminish responsibilities, shirk accountability, sacrifice more important things, and neglect noble endeavors. They slither in and entice vicarious living, smug narcissism, and a false sense of accomplishment.

The Bible says we are to be “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” That doesn’t mean making pets out of poisonous snakes.