from Rachel: That Ancient Serpent

How does Revelation12:9 portray Satan? “a dragon, a serpent”

What is Satan’s role in every human going astray (Revelation 12:9)?

“He leads the way.”

What more do you see about Satan in Luke 4:13?

“He waits for opportunities when we are vulnerable.”

What behavior might you see in your life that you disliked in your parents or grandparents?

“Absolutely nothing comes to mind (except Jeff Foxworthy’s quote of what he’d like to see on a talk show: ‘My mama was great, my daddy was great. I’m just a [screwup].’”

How does 2 Corinthians 11:3 portray Satan?

“As a deceiving, cunning serpent.”

Are you aware of some ways Satan has worked subtly to perpetuate a change in your family line?

“Yes; bigotry, distrust of church system, and a fear of running out – of not having enough, whether money or supplies.”

What do you think God could do to keep that ancient serpent from continuing to strike your family in this way?

“God has shielded me from the first two, but I need Him to step in and block the attack of the third one, and/or fortify to stand up against it.”

What do you see about Satan in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11?

“He has schemes to outwit us through our unforgiveness of each other.”

Has your extended family ever experienced a feud resulting in short- or long-term division?

“No, at least, not that I’ve heard of, or can remember. (Apparently, though, my great aunt, Mariah, nursed some jealousy and anger toward my grandma, which she finally released explosively on one of their last visits together.)”

First Peter 5:8 tells us, Satan is like what?

“a roaring lion”

God is my only guarantee.

Dearest Rachel –

We all tend to believe in our families, when confronted with the demand to speak ill of them. Heck, I think people who claim to despise their families, if asked point blank to list their alleged sins against them, might have to pause and think for a moment as to whether to do so. It’s one thing to have that internal conflict, it’s something else to lay it bare for others to see.

Besides, sometimes there’s this “only I have the right to think badly of them You stay out of it” dynamic in many cases.

I say this because, even as you mention that your momma was great, and your daddy was great (and I remember that line from Jeff about how he wished someone would admit that on Oprah someday), you do wind up admitting your own major shortcoming, and how it ties in to the practices you learned at home.

The thing is, based on the last couple of bits of homework, it all sources from a reasonable fear – that of going through a severe economic downturn, and having enough to survive something like that in the future. As it so happens, there’s a lot of talk that one might be looming in the near future, in fact. But with that being said, all that concern and stockpiling on your parent and your parents’ and grandparents’ didn’t wind up benefiting any of you (although it may prove to be what brings Daniel and I through it; that remains to be seen). A human perspective would not consider this attitude and behavior necessarily sinful, but those misplaced priorities did serve to rob those generations of a certain amount of joy – which I suppose is more than punishment enough.

At least you recognized these failings, and made efforts to avoid them in your own life – although, as you said, the last eluded you. Jesus talked about storing treasures in heaven, but the proverbs also strongly recommended working for and saving earthly wages as well – perhaps it’s just difficult to determine where the line is between the two, and how to safely navigate that line. You, at least, could be generous when the moment called for it, but yes, I’m sure you would not have been entirely pleased with the purge I initiated (if nothing else, at this point, you’d have virtually nothing left here to wear).

For what it’s worth, even I don’t know where the line is, or if it even exists, so I have my own struggles with walking it as well. So, if you’d be willing to keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me luck, I’d appreciate it, because I’m going to need it.