Are you sure?
This bookmark will be removed from all folders and any saved notes will be permanently removed.
A story of dogs and rattlesnakes
It wasn’t until we’d brought an eight-week-old Golden Retriever puppy, Abby, into our home that we discovered we lived in an area inhabited by a healthy population of rattlesnakes.
We had never seen a rattler before in the 30 years we had lived in California. But after Abby had been twice bitten before she was out of puppyhood, I realized I needed to do something. Our property was lushly landscaped, with lots of hiding places for critters, and there was no way I could keep Abby from rummaging around in her own yard. Although I wasn’t concerned for myself, I was aware that a snake could be hiding right where I was gardening or taking a photograph of the beautiful roses we had nurtured along. So, knowing that my thought about these snakes needed correcting, I went on metaphysical alert.
This passage from Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures was in my thought frequently: “Understanding the control which Love held over all, Daniel felt safe in the lions’ den, and Paul proved the viper to be harmless. All of God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible” (p. 514). All creatures are harmless—including vipers … and rattlesnakes. It is mortal mind, a flawed view of God’s perfect creation, that would suggest these creatures are venomous and dangerous. This was an idea I could grasp and quiet my thought with.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
