I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled about this catch of the day at first...but after doing our homework,
I see that this kingsnake who has made his home in our yard is actually our friend, even protector.
He stays.
It was a rough lesson this past week to see a large snake prey upon our beloved bird's nest up in our tree. We grieved as a family while he enjoyed a meal. It was like National Geographic right in our own backyard! It's taken me some time to digest the whole thing because really, it was traumatic, especially for sweet Nova. All of the children were distraught! I was nauseous. Brodie, of course, remained calm and even found a lesson for us all through the distressing situation. We all felt for the mama and daddy birds as they tried their best to peck at the snake that took from them. And we, mama and daddy to our little ones had to explain the circle of life and even find and teach respect for this creature (and his Creator) in our garden.
We prayed and thanked the Lord for the compassion we saw in our children for the vulnerable little birds. We asked Him to use that compassion to fuel their love for His people, also in need. We thanked God for how He cares for even the birds and asked that He would comfort them and help them build a new nest and have more baby birds soon. He cares and so do we.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."
Matthew 10:29-31
After that episode, we nudged the snake over to the field by our house, only to find him back again yesterday. So, we did some research. (Insert science lesson here.) What to do with this determined snake who obviously likes our garden???
As it turns out, this kingsnake is, in fact, our friend. He will eat rattlesnakes and other snakes. He will also eat rodents and he is not venomous himself. The kingsnake is on our team. So, we will respect him and we will not touch him. We will not kill him or even try to remove him because we see that he will help protect our property ultimately. So, this catch of the day stays....and another country lesson tucks under our belts. We need not be afraid and we're growing day by day.
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens
and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"
Genesis 1:26