Last week I met some very powerful and accomplished women at a conference. Jealousy crept in as I mulled over how old I am, questioned dreams I have yet to fulfill, and wondered about where I am in life. One of those powerful women happened to be with me at the time and my doubts spilled into our small group sharing.

“Maybe you’re exactly where your supposed to be,” she said. “Maybe Satan is trying to discourage you because you’re doing such a good job.” Her comment caught me off guard, and frankly, surprised me. I rarely think about the devil and speak of him even less. I thanked her at the end of our session and headed outside for time to consider her words.

What an interesting theory, I reflected as I meandered onto a nature trail next to the conference center. As usually happens when I am outdoors, my thoughts lightened. The sunshine warmed my perspective and my face; the birds distracted me with their song, and the plants and flowers perked my curiosity. Gradually I felt better and headed back for the next meeting.

As I crossed onto a boardwalk over classic North Carolina swampland, a dozen birds up ahead pranced on the path and squawked loudly. I didn’t pay much attention, until the stick they were fussing over raised its head and hissed. The snake was sill a good fifteen feet ahead of me, but the wooden path was narrow and the swamp below squishy with mud.

Should I wait it out? Can I sneak past? Do I dare get off the path and wade through the murky marsh?

I really wanted to get to the next conference session, and the snake showed no sign of giving up his arguement with the birds, so I took a deep breath, plucked off my flip-flops so they wouldn’t trip me, and darted past him as fast as I could.

The snake was more worried about me than I about him, and before I even got close, he turned and quickly slid into the swamp. I kept up my run until I was almost back to the conference center, then smiled at the remarkable symbolism.

Isn’t it just like God to help me race past a snake on the very day I needed to let go of the devil’s daunting assault on my thoughts?

I don’t want you to run past a literal snake, my friends, but I do want you to escape any discouragement Satan is using to attack your life. He knows exactly how to dishearten you. So just take a great big breath of the Holy Spirit and race right past that slimy serpent!