Snakes.
They provoke a variety of emotions and thoughts.
Negatively, people respond to snakes with fear. Some tremble at the mere mentioning of their name. “Snake.” “Help! Ewwww!!!!” They are viewed as evil and as a representation of the devil (think Genesis and the conversation held between the snake and Eve). For some, snakes should be banished from this world. How dare I even mention them in this devotional? I should be ashamed of myself.
Positively, people respond to snakes with love. There are people that love snakes, have them as pets, and view them as an animal to be admired and cherished. After all, weren’t they created by God? Didn’t God turn the staff of Moses into a snake in Pharaoh’s presence? (Hint: The answer is yes.)
Me? I guess I err more towards the fear/dislike. I still remember the time when I was but a wee lad in the basement of our home, bending over to pick up what looked to be a piece of a carpet coming up…and it was a snake. Bad memory. Still, overall I’m really pretty indifferent. We have snakes around our house. Big, long black snakes. They leave me alone. I leave them alone. They help take care of some of the other critters that I don’t wish to be in our house, and I’m happy to let them take care of that responsibility. It’s a decent relationship. You stay away from me. I’ll stay away from you. I have absolutely zero desire to ever have one as a pet, but I’m not setting off to eradicate the world of them either.
So, why talk about them now? Why even bring them up?
Great questions. I’m glad you asked!
A few days ago we had a hankering for some Chinese food. After some conversation, we decided to order from our usual spot in Delmont, and I went into the restaurant to pick up our food. The restaurant has gone to great lengths to ensure safety and provide a barrier between the customers and the staff. So, where there used to be an open counter, there is now a wall of plexiglass. They even developed a system to pass the food through the wall in a completely contactless manner! It’s a pretty neat set-up…even if it points to the unwelcome reality of our times. Anyway, hanging on the wall of plexiglass was a small, hand-written sign. “Paper Snakes for Sale. 50¢” Next to the sign there was an example. A springy, homemade, paper snake was hanging there, complete with a tongue sticking out and a little tail. I immediately went to the car and retrieved $1. All of the sudden, I needed two paper snakes.
“Why?” You ask.
Again, great question. I’m glad you asked!
I didn’t want the paper snakes. I have no affinity towards snakes. I had no need of paper snakes. I have no idea what I’m going to do with the paper snakes, but still. I needed to buy them.
You see, we’ve frequented this Chinese restaurant for years. For years, I’ve seen the Mom run the register and help some in the kitchen. For years, I’ve witnessed the Dad work the wok and prepare the meals. For years, I’ve seen who I believe to be the grandfather assist as necessary. For years, I’ve seen two little boys as they have grown up in the Chinese restaurant. Sometimes they’d be coloring. Sometimes they’d be playing on an iPad. Sometimes they’d be doing homework. Sometimes, they would be watching TV. Sometimes, they wouldn’t be there (but most of the time they are). Sometimes, the mom and I would have small conversations about Silas and how big he’s getting. Sometimes, I’d ask how school was going for the boys. Sometimes, it would be busy, and we didn’t talk much. Sometimes, it would be slower, and we’d a little bit more. For years, I’ve gone into this Chinese restaurant, and I’ve seen this family. The mom and dad working. The boys playing, or doing schoolwork, or sometimes even helping to run the restaurant.
Sadly, I don’t know their whole story. Shamefully, I have yet to learn their names. Still, I hope to continue to be in conversation with this family, and I hope that I’ve been faithful to the Lord in my dealings at the restaurant. Regardless, when I saw the snakes, I knew. I knew I needed to buy them to bless the little boy that made them.
So, I went into the car and came back with a dollar. Then, I told the mom, “I’d like two paper snakes please.”
“Really? You really want to buy a snake?”
“Absolutely! I’d like two.”
“Ok.”
At this point, she turned and yelled something in Chinese and the boy came running from the back.
“You’d like to buy a snake?”
“Yes, please. Two.”
“Which ones would you like?”
He then pulled out a giant box of paper snakes and proceeded to show me all of the color options. I chose one that was blue and green and another that had some pink. He pushed the two snakes through the little plexiglass window, and I pushed the coins through the opposite direction. He took the $ and left with a smile. I must have been the first one to buy (I sure hope more have at this point). The family seemed to be in shock. The younger boy was excited. The mom was surprised, and the older brother looked a little bit irritated that his younger brother actually sold some snakes. The dad kept cooking. Still, it was awesome! The paper snake transaction was complete. I am now the owner of two, different-colored, handmade paper snakes, and it only cost me $1.
Obviously, the transaction wasn’t about the snakes or the money. Instead, it was just a very, very, very small way for me to be kind, and I hope, to share a bit of the love of Jesus. My hope is that this small gesture would just be a little bit of light, a little bit of love, a little bit of a witness to this family. My hope is that in some small way, I might continue to carry the light of Jesus into each and every relationship…even my relationship with the folks at the Chinese joint in Delmont.
Have I been perfect in my relationship there? Nope. I’m sure I haven’t. I’m sure there have been plenty of occasions when I could have done or said something else, something more. At minimum, I should make the effort to learn their names.
Still, my hope is that Jesus would work through me, even in small ways, even in small interactions to make an impact for His Kingdom in that place. I’ve seen/known that family in part. I’ve seen their hard work. I’ve tasted their yummy curry and crab rangoons. I’ve heard the way the mom says, “Thank you. Bye-Bye.” I’ve witnessed the way the boys are there constantly. I haven’t seen them complain. I’m sure they have. I know them, in part. I know them from years of buying their food. Jesus knows them completely. He knows their hurts. He knows their struggles. He knows their triumphs. He knows their joys.
He also knows how to use me in their lives…if I’m willing and if I’m faithful.
Luke 16:10 says this: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
Now, in the context of the rest of the surrounding Scripture, the immediate reference is to money. If you can be trusted with a little bit of money, then you can be trusted with more, etc. However, though the immediate context points to money, I believe there is merit in extending the truth of this verse into other contexts as well.
If you can be trusted to have seemingly “small” conversations and interactions well and faithfully, then it follows that you should be trustworthy in “larger” conversations and interactions as well. If you cannot be trusted in the smaller conversations, if you’re rude and mean and unfriendly and judgmental with the lady at the Chinese restaurant as you buy your green curry, how will you be able to be trusted with conversations about faith and Jesus?
My hope is that I would be trustworthy in every conversation.
It’s a goal that I’m still pressing forward to achieve.
How about you? Are you faithful in the small things? Are you trustworthy in the small, day-to-day exchanges? Do you point to Jesus in the stuff that seems “little”?
Sometimes, those little things lead to something bigger. Sometimes those little decisions open bigger doors. Even if they don’t, they still matter. It is still important to be faithful in the little stuff, to be trustworthy in the small matters, to be like Jesus in our trips to the Chinese restaurant (or when the pizza delivery guy comes, or as the girl loads our online order into the trunk at the grocery store…you get the idea). What we do in the “little” makes an impact…often an impact that is beyond what we know or ever see.
I made a little decision to buy two, small, paper snakes. If nothing else, it brightened up the eyes of a young boy who had worked hard to make them, and it made his mom smile. My hope? That I was faithful. That this small decision would be one of many that would lead to bigger things. That future conversations would continue to point to Jesus. That this family would be blessed by the Lord through me.
~ Pastor Chris
