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There was nothing unusual about the day. My wife was holding a conversation with our granddaughter and carrying on the normal chatter that she does with her chickens. She fed her chickens and took care of their water, and then she walked over to look in the big hutch inside her chicken coop. When she did, she glanced over, and there it was. She had not had any idea of the danger that was only a few feet from her.

The slit eyes on each side of its face were directed at her from its slightly raised head. It turned to watch her as she moved in the coop. Its body was wound in a loose circle to let it fit inside the smaller hutch. The fact is that it was there for whatever reason, and she had not known it.

She took a picture and sent it to me and to our daughter who was in the house. Our daughter, using an app I want to get, identified it from the picture. It was a timber rattler. My wife and daughter would later determine that it was well over five-feet long. It had 14 rattles and a button. My daughter was able to kill the snake, and no harm came to anyone.

The Apostle Paul feared that the early Christians might be deceived like the snake deceived Eve (2 Corinthians 11:3). While the snake in cour coop laid there and watched my wife, and was not aggressive toward her, Satan is aggressive. Using a different imagery Peter warns us to be sober and vigilant because the devil is seeking “whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan is not going to sit back and watch us. He is going to strike if we let our guard down.

Let us cling to the cross and watch out for that old serpent who wants to devour us.

Dean Kelly is minister at Highland Home Church of Christ.