I’ve got faith that of I don’t pick a snake up, it won’t bite me.
Thou shall not test the Lord your God.
Good advice.
The local paper recently ran this article.
Five snake bites prompt warning in Beach
VIRGINIA BEACH
Sometimes the obvious bears repeating, even when the subject is poisonous reptiles.
Five people in the Beach this summer have suffered snake bites requiring a trip to the hospital, officials said. The locations vary - Blackwater, Sandbridge, the amphitheater, Kempsville and First Landing State Park - but the cause is almost always the same: snake fascination.
"People want to be like Steve Irwin and pick up the snake," said Bruce Nedelka, emergency medical services division chief, referring to the late TV personality called "The Crocodile Hunter."
On Tuesday, the city released its "Snake Bite Prevention Safety Tips."
Tip No. 1, "If you see a snake, walk away from it."
"You would think it would be obvious," Animal Control Officer Wayne Gilbert said, "but sometimes people see something that's a little strange, and they want to go up and touch it."
Gilbert said he's noticed two kinds of people when called to remove a snake from a kitchen or under a house. The first group completely avoids the slithery things.
"The others are so engrossed that they're with me the whole time," he said.
"They ask me if they can hold the snake tongs. They want to touch the snake to see what it feels like."
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
I have that kind of faith as well. Jesus never made snake handling any part of His ministry, and that is good enough for me.