At the last minute Anne decided to go to the dam early with her children and friends. Harry and Abigail came later to watch the fun and to try their own hand at catching the "big one." The bank they fished from was completely lined with large rocks. Anne's children were playing on the rocks and reaching down between them to see what treasures they could find. It never crossed anyone's mind that this might be a perfect home for rattlesnakes.

    After awhile Harry and Abigail decided to call it quits after Harry lost the "big one" several times. Their daughter and her friends decided to stay a little longer.

    Abigail shivered again as the scene continued to play in her mind.

    As Abigail and Harry walked up the road toward their truck, Abigail spotted a large snake off to the side of the road, several yards ahead . She grabbed Harry's arm, "Look a snake! That is a huge water snake!" Harry laughed, "It won't hurt you. Just leave it alone. " "I'm not walking by that snake! I hate snakes!", Declared Abigail.

    The instant those words came out of Abigail's mouth, she impulsively scooped up a large rock and ran toward the snake. She hoped to scare it away. She had covered about 20 yards when she dropped the rock and backed away. She saw a rattle! This was not a water snake, but instead a large rattlesnake. Her heart raced. She barely whispered, "Harry, it's a rattlesnake…" Harry stared at the snake and saw the rattle. "Go back to the dam and warn the kids. I'll watch to see where it goes."

    Before Abigail started back down the road to warn Anne, the snake slid out onto the road. It moved slowly and deliberately, as if trying to find place to hide. Abigail's eyes bulged. That snake was at least 8 feet long and had a lump in the middle. It must have eaten a large fish or rabbit. Her eyes scanned the area. Abigail noticed several large boulders in the woods, which formed a small cave. Without a doubt that was the snake's destination. She panicked. A den of snakes, she thought.

    With her thoughts running wild she ran back down the road to warn Anne of the possible danger of rattlesnakes. Then Abigail ran back up the road to where her husband stood. The snake was now stretched completely across the road, from one end to the other. What a giant! Fear struck to the very core of her heart! She realized that the only reason the snake had not reacted to her was because it was sluggish from eating! God had protected her in spite of her foolishness!

    It seemed to take forever for the snake to make its way across the road. Harry started walking up the road after the snake disappeared into the grass. Abigail refused to go any further. She said she was NOT walking past that snake!

    Suddenly! Harry pointed toward the grass as he yelled! "Abigail. Look! The snake is headed your way! It's in the grass! Run!"

    Panic struck! Abigail bounded up the road as fast as her legs would carry her, leaving Harry in the wind as she passed him. She stopped when she realized he wasn't beside her. Looking back, she saw Harry laughing at the scene before him.

    She fumed. What a dirty trick. She yelled at Harry. "You're not funny at all! I have every right to be afraid of an 8-foot rattlesnake." Harry gawked at her and made a face. An 8-foot rattlesnake! It was more like 4 foot! Give me a break!"

"Whatever…" Abigail muttered as she huffed her way to the truck.

    Later she realized that she was so full of fear that it was the only way that Harry could get her to move, other than literally carrying her up the road.

    She smiled as she thought about the rattlesnake episode. She laughed as she remembered the look on Harry's face when she was carrying on about the 8-foot snake! How she had exaggerated the size of the snake! She let fear take completely over. Even though exaggerating its size was funny now, she did not want to experience it again. It didn't matter if the rattlesnake was 2 foot, 4 foot or an  8 foot!! She had respect for the rattlesnake! You don't handle a dangerous situation by throwing stones!

    Soon Abigail's mind shifted from the snake encounter to a different situation that she was going through now.  She felt angry, helpless due to someone hurting her deeply.  It was not dangerous physically, but it was hurting her emotional and spiritual well being. Once again, Abigail ran hastily ahead of God, just as she did in the snake situation by trying to scare it away with a rock! Bad choice!

     She reacted impulsively and aggressively. And without talking it over with God. Her impulsiveness and approach to the whole incident slid her into trouble and placed her to be at odds with God, others and herself. The problem became even bigger. She did not rely on God to take care of it and found herself feeling out of control, full of fear and in turmoil.

    As she thought about both of these experiences, the one with the rattlesnake and the one she was going through now, she realized that she reacted to both in the same way. She ran ahead to "fix" things herself. Her imagination ran wild in both situations, which only served to make matters worse.

    Abigail felt remorse for not handling the situation with love. She bowed her head. "God please help me not to run ahead of you and make a mess of an all ready terrible situation. Help me not to let anger, fear, and wild thoughts take over. Give me the strength to wait on You. Give me peace of mind. Help me to forgive. Help me to be the kind of person that will glorify you. Help me to trust You in all things. Forgive me for worrying and fretting. In Jesus Name Amen."

    Abigail finally had peace of mind and peace in her heart. She also realized that "running" ahead can be dangerous---physically, emotionally and spiritually.

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