This is a picture of the Black Mamba, or “Sir” as I would call him. Sir Mamba lives in Africa, is anywhere from 9-14 feet long, and can slither along at a pace of about 20 miles per hour. According to National Geographic, he is one of the deadliest snakes in the world. Although very timid, when he feels as if he’s been cornered, he strikes not once but several times, injecting his deadly venom that can kill within 20 minutes.
Yesterday was a tough day. Yesterday was a really tough day. By about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I had come to the point where I felt as if I had been cornered all day long – as if someone was poking a stick at me to see how long I could keep my forked tongue in my mouth. Let me tell you, by then, it was definitely forked. I had spent the better part of the day with the revolting taste of venom swishing around inside my mouth. By the day’s end, my mouth was so full I was ready to spew. I was afraid I’d end up swallowing my tongue from biting it so much.
The good news is I didn’t spew. I choked it down. Almost all day long I kept calling on Jesus to strengthen me because I knew there was more going on than what I could see in the natural. So the “snake charmer” was almost able to overpower the snake. Although he was unsuccessful at his attempt to illicit the dance of anger, he was successful in provoking me. The fact that I didn’t bite was only by the grace of God. For that I am grateful because by that point, believe me, the bite would have been deadly. What really annoyed me was that I listened to the music in the first place.
I took my woes to God. I couldn’t be still enough to shake them. I brought them to my wonderful friend, and then took them back to God. What really upset me most was how disgusted I was by my reaction. I kept hearing the Scripture, “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks,” Matt. 12:34.
I kept asking God, “What is at the root of all this, Lord? Why do I let these this brother’s attitude affect and infect me?” There is no emotion I detest more than anger. I have a great fear of losing control, forgetting who I am now. I questioned whether my mouth was the only thing filled with venom. I ask myself, am I one of the brood? Am I a viper? The truth is I didn’t want to let it out. I didn’t want to disappoint my Lord. I wanted to glorify Him.
Perhaps what is at the root of this anger isn’t something I need to over-analyze. It just might be that there were powers at work set to run me off my course. Colossians 3:10 says, “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.”
Transformation is a continuous process. It happens slowly. Even a snake takes time to shed his skin.
