Suddenly he understood the reason for the eerie silence. In the low grass a cobra stood up with its hood spread and its tongue flicking. Carlos followed the snake’s gaze. It was fixed on the branch of a bush just ahead. On the branch sat a little bird, completely paralyzed. he writes:”I had heard that snakes do that to birds. Now I was seeing it. The bird had wings, but could not fly. It had a voice, but could not sing. It was frozen, stiff, mesmerized. The snake knew its own power and had cast its spell. The prey could not escape, though it had the whole sky for its range.”
Carlos decided to do something. He stirred the breeze with his presence. He tried to break the snake’s hypnotic hold on the bird by waving his arms. He shouted human sounds. Eventially his efforts were successful. Reluctantly the cobra lowered itself to the ground and slid off into the grass. The countryside came alive again with its surrounding sounds. And the bird, freed from its paralysis, found its wings and flew. It discovered its voice and began to sing once more.
This story is a powerful parable. Many people today find themselves caught in the hypnotic gaze of the snake. Some are immobilized by fear or depression or despair or by some other dark feeling. Some are trapped in destructive and addictive patterns of behavior.
Some go through all the familiar motions of believing—praying, reading the Bible, going to church—but somehow feel stuck in their relationship with God. As a result, like the little bird, they become paralyzed. They long for a new freedom. They have wings but do not fly. They have a voice but do not sing.
If you feel paralyzed like this little bird, there is some wonderful good news in the Bible. God wants to free you and me. However, an important precondition accompanies this freedom. We need to be willing to embark on a journey of change, risk, and obedience.
– Trevor Hudson
Questions God Asks Us
Questions God Asks Us
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