Weeds and Snakes

Summer in southwestern Japan is hot and humid. With highs generally in the mid to upper 90s, lows in the upper 70s to mid 80s, and frequent rains, the weeds absolutely thrive. In a week or two they can grow more than a foot. As such, during this season much time and energy is spent by farmers and property owners cutting down the weeds with various machines, the most common of which are viscious-looking, gasoline-powered weed-whackers with something akin to circular saw blades instead of nylon lines on their rotating heads.

This past Saturday Makoto went out into our weedy yard to collect some dried leaves from under an overgrown bush next to the weedy sandbox. (Why he was collecting dried leaves, I still haven’t asked. Nine-year-olds do that kind of thing) As he reached out to pick up a leaf or two he noticed a coiled snake several inches from his hand among the leaves and weeds under the bush. He wisely (instinctively) removed his hand, ran and called his brother, and both were soon back on the scene, Kei taking photos of the snake, Makoto enjoying the fun.

The snake that Makoto encountered was a MAMUSHI (pronounced maw-moo-shee), a Japanese viper: a venomous snake resembling a rattle-less rattlesnake. The Lord mercifully spared Makoto from a snakebite–for that we are grateful. The viper however, having had its fill of attention, headed for deeper weeds shortly after its photo-session. I attempted to find it but gave up after having thoroughly searched the area under and surrounding the bush.

As you might imagine I felt compelled to deal with the weeds and the overgrown bush right away. Out came the chainsaw and the weed-whacker. As a result the bush is now a spindly little thing providing neither shade nor cover near the sandbox. The church grounds are now looking much more like a lawn–at least if you squint–and cover for snakes has been all but removed.

After reflecting on this incident I saw a potential parable: The tall weeds are an indicator of neglect or a lack of self-discipline in our lives. Our hearts, when untended–like the steamy summer in Japan–are the perfect environment in which weeds can quickly grow tall. When real weeds grow tall a snake becomes hard to spot. So too in our lives, when we neglect being nourished by God’s word, fellowship in the Lord, prayer, or other such spiritual disciplines, the weeds grow tall in our lives; and the enemy is difficult to recognize, potentially inflicting wounds with his venomous bite, making us ineffective.

Through Makoto’s near-snake experience, I am now motivated to keep the grass and weeds cut short throughout the rest of the season in order to protect my children and others. Similarly, I want to keep the weeds in my life to a minimum and not be caught off guard by the enemy.

Praise:

• for God protecting Makoto from the viper
• for God’s continued provision
• for a wonderful three days at the JECA (Japanese Evangelical Christian Association) “Family Camp” last week

Please Pray:

• for an experienced immigrant attorney who can advise us as we attempt to get a consular green-card
• for Nathan and Azusa to share the gospel with boldness in every opportunity
• for wisdom in general
• for continued provision

We thank you for your prayer support!