Article July 12, 1993 ISSUE

The Bible— your very own field guide

The Christian Science Monitor

Summertime! We played outside, barefoot, all day long. There were fields, woods, and bayous with damp dirt paths worn smooth by all our little feet. Sunlight filtered down through the canopy of trees.

But there was something else I remember about those summers full of fun and freedom: our field guides. You see, we lived in a warm, humid climate known for its many snakes, and so it was important that we be able to tell them apart, important that we be able to distinguish the harmless snakes from the poisonous.

Our parents made sure that when we went into the woods, we carried what we called our "snake book" with us. If we came across a snake we didn't know, we would get out our field guide and—from a safe distance—look for the picture and description of what we saw. Most of the snakes we saw were not poisonous or dangerous. But if we found one that was, we knew we should take another path, and we would stay clear of that area for the rest of the day. Equipped with our field guides, we played safely in those woods for many summers.

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