All things bright and beautiful,I have grown in my love for animals. Since the beginning of time, humans have had a special bond with animals, being given care and dominion over them (Genesis 1:26). Adam even got to name the animals (Genesis 2:19).
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
As many of you are likely aware, I have sought to take pictures with wild animals on every continent, beginning with my time in China.
I got to hug a panda in Asia (Chengdu, China)...
I got to hang out with a kangaroo and her joey (see the pouch) in Australia (Wollongong, New South Wales)...
I got to kiss a giraffe in Africa (Nairobi, Kenya)...
I am still open to suggestions as to what to do in Europe and South America! I will definitely dance with a penguin in Antarctica.
However, I also wanted to do something in North America. So, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a picture in my own backyard of Texas...
Here I am holding a rattlesnake (Oglesby, Texas)!
Ok, so that snake is stuffed. It was alive at one time, but not in this picture.
Some children did get to touch the belly of one...
Another lady got to put it around her neck, with some help from the handler...
The handlers spent all day in the pit doing demonstrations...
And this man broke a world record by lying in a bathtub with (at least) 123 of them! I believe the initial count, before the final tally, was 126...
Many people would call this man crazy. Others would call him brave. On the flip side, most people equate snakes with being crafty and evil, after the curse in Eden (Genesis 3:1, 14). Fear was definitely present as everyone watched the stunt...
Yet interestingly, Jesus also commended serpents for their shrewdness (Matthew 10:16). Likewise, Jesus calls us to consider their ability to avoid danger, as we are sent out among wolves. In counter-balance, we also seek innocence like doves.
On a side note, Jesus did say we would pick them up with our hands (Mark 16:18). I think I will just stick with the stuffed one for now. This counts, right?! Regardless, I can admire these snakes for their cleverness.
As CF Alexander ends his poem about all of God's creatures:
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
