Good vs. Evil

As usual I had no specific destination in mind but I decided to head down one of my favorite country roads that recently had been closed due to road damage from flooding. It was reopened now and as I was crossing the one lane low water bridge over the river, I had to come to almost a complete stop as I got to the other side. There was a pickup coming the opposite direction, one of those with the huge tires making it high up off the road, and it had come to a complete stop. There were 2 Muscovy ducks in the middle of the road! I slowly drove past them and I assumed that as soon as I did, the young fella driving the truck would try to swerve around them to cross the bridge. To my surprise as I watched in my side mirror, he was instead waiting for them to move apparently. I heard him blow some type of musical horn, but as long as I was able to see him, he was still patiently waiting. These are the “feel good” stories you won’t hear or see in the media today. A little further down the road there was a lady walking from her mailbox back to her vehicle and as I approached she was smiling and waving to me before getting in her vehicle. I truly believe there are still way more compassionate people in this world than there are “evil.” Just like we can see God’s beauty all around if we look for it, we can see good people as well.

As I rode the twists and turns I again found myself on some roads I hadn’t been on before. I guess it’s a good thing I have a pretty good sense of direction or I could get totally lost on some of these rides physically, not just lost in thought. 🤣 Further along my ride as I recalled memories I have no idea where came from, I saw a large beautiful bald eagle take flight from a tree ahead of me. As it flew over I noticed a snake dangling from it’s claws. I was hoping and praying he didn’t drop that thing on me! As I thought about that moment a sense of overwhelming and inexplicable peace came over me.

I’m sure some people reading this will think I’m crazy, maybe I am, but I’m going to share it anyway. The bald eagle is our national emblem and is not something seen often like most other birds are. The eagle is a majestic and strong bird that I’ve always found intriguing and admired. Snakes on the other hand are defintely seen quite often and are disliked by most people I know.

In the Bible, an eagle is often used to portray power, strength, and great vision. Some artists use it as a sign of the resurrection of Christ due to its power and strength as it rises when taking flight. A snake however represents evil power, chaos, death and destruction; a symbol of the devil himself. When we see a snake slithering along the ground it’s an immediate reminder of the fall of man in the garden of Eden due to sin.

Maybe that’s why I suddenly had such an overwhelming sense of peace, the majestic eagle I saw had conquered and killed the snake. A simple act of nature or a sign of what I already alluded to? God is in control! To me the eagle and snake I saw were a definite sign of things to come. It may not happen when we think it should, but ultimately good will prevail over evil.