BABYSITTING BETSY THE BALLET BOA

         SNAKES!! The way I see it, there are no "good" snakes. I'm sorry. My husband always told me that the black king snake is a good one, but I have the same disgusting fear - no matter the name and no matter the job description!

         God put enmity, a mutual, positive hatred, between the woman and the snake back in Genesis 3:15 and I know that this woman positively hates them still. But then I came face to face with one of the most challenging tasks ever requested of me - me, the people pleaser! 

         My daughter's professional ballet company was slated to dance two hours south of our home, but I didn't plan to attend the production because my husband was flying home that day.

         He had just completed a six week business project and his arrival conflicted with the time of the production. But he so loved watching her dance that he actually caught an earlier flight so he could attend the show. This meant that we'd go directly from the airport to the venue.

         So I called my daughter to ask her the location of the venue. When her director heard that we were coming, he asked her to call me back because he had a favor to ask of me.

         Now I love to serve people, but this request was hard to swallow!

         "Could you please stop by my house and pick up my boa, Betsy, and bring her to the show?" (The ballet was depicting Moses and it was set in Pharaoh's palace, hence Betsy was a very live prop to bring more authenticity to the show.)

         Whaaat? Why me, God? So because I feeling a great deal of pressure, I, VERY reluctantly, agreed to the errand. He assured me that his son would have her safely secured in her box. Yikes!

         I had no idea just how long it would take me to pick her up and arrive at the airport on time for Mac's flight, so I left a bit early.

         I foolishly expected a metal box with a padlock on it, but instead, his son greeted me holding a taped cardboard box! He put "Betsy" in my van and sent me on my way with a warning - to make sure that she didn't escape under my feet while driving! (His teasing raised the intensity of my fear to an extreme!)

         Well, as it turned out, the picking up of said boa went quicker than I had first expected and I had about forty-five minutes to kill. But wait! I was NOT willing to sit in my van for those forty-five minutes with that volatile package! What if she really could escape like the young man said?

         So I strained my brain for a legitimate excuse to exit my van during the wait. "I'll read at a coffee shop," I told myself. Sure, that'll do. So as I exited for the coffee shop, I peered through the back window of my van and the box was still closed.

         After thirty minutes, I once again, peered through the back window before entering my van. Still closed. But then I noticed that my gas gauge was low and that I would need to fill up prior to our journey south to the show.

         So after filling my tank, I, once again, peered through the back window to find the box still shut tight. Phew! But to be honest, babysitting Betsy, made for a VERY long afternoon!

         So it was finally time to head to the airport to retrieve my husband. Once he got into the van, I felt safe again.... creepy, but safe, for I knew that my knight in shining armor would protect me from this "strangest package" ever!

         We still faced a two hour ride, which seemed MUCH longer as all I could think of was Betsy crawling up under my seat! I really considered even asking Mac for a new van because this one had ... a snake in it! Yuk!

         The GPS proved successful and we arrived at the venue five minutes before curtain time. So Mac quickly got a hold of Betsy in her box and delivered her to the stage crew just in time for her scene! Phew!

         I must admit that even the PRESENCE of a snake filled me with fear. It drove my mind to think of various scenarios of which NONE came to pass. Thank goodness!

         God had, in fact, protected me once again, but I surely didn't feel like an "over comer." I needed to replace my fear with the truth of Psalm 27:1.

         So as I sat in the theatre, trying to enjoy the show, I realized that I had allowed fear to still my joy. What I needed was to take all of my thoughts captive to the truth of God's Word.

        

Lesson Learned:

Ps 27:1 - "Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom (or what) shall I dread?"

2 Cor 10:5  - "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up ... and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

FEAR = "False Evidence Appears Real" (author unknown)