Snakes in the Garden

 

The setting a beautiful garden, one just strolling along admiring the scenery and the pleasant aroma that fills your being with delight. Then comes along an uninvited guest. This guest, although unappealing and a bit contradictory to your delightfully engaging atmosphere, you decide to entertain this uninvited guest anyway. Now, you may have not invited this guest into your garden, but you did invite this guest to stay by entertaining what this guest might want. Instead of asking this guest to leave or you walking in the other direction, you invited this guess into your garden, into your space (rather, physical or mental). Then your delightfulness soon turns to despair as this guest soon provokes an atmosphere of weariness. And, you then realize you just got bitten by a snake of gloom you let into your garden of paradise. 

Think about the Garden of Eden in the Bible, when the serpent appeared to upset Adam and Eve's delight-filled atmosphere, (Genesis, Chapter 3). Adam and Eve where in paradise having a delight filled life here on earth when the serpent entered into the garden. Yes the serpent was cunning, as are many uninvited guess that have a bad agenda up their sleeve. But, Eve entertained the serpent's ideas and then Adam entertained the passed-on idea from Eve that the serpent brought. And, all of humanity got bitten by them letting the serpent's ideas into their garden of paradise. 

You don't invite a snake into your garden nor entertain a snake in your garden and not expect to get bitten!

In my opinion; we live in a me, me, me society today, where many people only think about what they want with no concern how it affects another. They don't care who they have to bite, nor what chaotic situation they are causing  to get what they want. It's so sad when people allow a snake-minded person to upset one's comfort in their garden by entertaining that snake-minded person's ideas. Once those ideas get entertained one can't or has a very hard time un-entertaining them. For example: A couple has been together, for say, around three years. Their in a ruff patch. Their not seeing eye to eye on things. Almost completely quit talking to each other to avoid conflict in believing that is the solution, when it only puts a barrier between them. Soon one or both are talking to others, telling only their side of what's going on in an effort to gain support. Then, one of the people one of them are talking to decides to give bad advice in order to break them up as they want the one for themselves. Now, what kind of friend would do that unless they are a snake-minded person; not a true friend. But, get this! The person the one went and talked to the one just met on the job and found out that person has a reputation of changing significant others every few months and a reputation of cheating on them, as well. So, why would the one even entertain the idea of talking to that person in getting advice? The one just invited a snake into their garden! Wonder who going to get bitten!!

It's so easy, sometimes, to let other people's ideas provoke or completely change your way of thinking to the point that it completely upsets your garden of paradise. One, especially these days, needs to be aware of snakes in the garden and ignore or avoid them in order to not get bitten. 

As a Christian I have had a few snakes come my way in trying to convince me I'm not a true Christian or that I'm too Christian in certain areas of my life. First off, what the heck does Too Christian mean? I mean, I know some take being a Christian meaning you have to completely withdraw from the world all together. My belief is, how can a Christian do that and not be in the world spreading the good news of Jesus Christ's love? Even if a Christian is doing this by means of the internet, he or she is still placing themselves in a space in the world. But, I digress. When a person comes to me with ideas that goes against my beliefs, I do my best not to entertain them ideas, and certainty don't bring them home into my garden of paradise. I do interact, to a certain degree, with people that have unlike minds as mine. I just don't bring them or their ideas home with me because I don't want to get bitten to the point that it upsets my garden of paradise. Now some may be thinking, well isn't that selfish in itself? I don't believe so. I think that's just being cautious and that's okay in my book as once you invite a snake in, caution no longer exist, your going to get bitten. 

Don't take me wrong, I'm no expert on this as I'm still learning myself how to keep snakes out of my garden. I do slip up and get bitten every so often and it hurts and I feel like an idiot for letting it happen. I do try, however, to be aware of my actions in trying not to be a snake in someone else' garden. Bottom line: In order to keep snakes out of your garden of paradise, it's best to be aware of who you interact with or at the least of their ideas! 

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” (2 John 1:7-11). 

You don't invite a snake into your garden nor entertain a snake in your garden and not expect to get bitten!