Encounter with a Stranger

It was a beautiful autumn day in North Carolina.

The leaves had turned from brilliant green to vibrant yellow, orange, and red. I went outside to spend some time with my two children.

The kids immediately began playing in the fallen leaves.

They gathered leaves, made piles to jump into, and climbed trees. After some time, my children and I began walking to the mailbox, which is located down the street. As we walked, the children kicked the fallen leaves.

A stranger appeared on the sidewalk in front of us and yelled for us to stop and not walk closer. I had never seen this man before, and I wondered why he was yelling for us to stop. North Carolina is known for its variety of wildlife, including venomous copperhead snakes. Their bites can do serious harm.

I had never seen one in our yard, but our friend’s son had been bitten by one in an adjacent neighborhood. The stranger yelled that there was a copperhead on our pathway, but he would take care of it. Moments later, the stranger walked over to us and stated that he had taken care of the snake, allowing us to proceed to the mailbox. Absorbed in the beauty of the day and time with my children, I was not prepared to meet a copperhead snake on the path that day.

We would have walked directly into the path of the snake that was sunning itself in the leaves, camouflaged from our view.

Although we have lived in our neighborhood for many years and know most of the neighbors, before that day, we had never seen the man who saved us from the snake. Nor have we seen him since that day.

My children and I are thankful that God had His hand upon us and placed a stranger along our pathway to save us from a potentially dangerous encounter.

The promises of Psalm 91:11–14 are for each of us today: For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands. … You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him” (NIV).

And He does!