training

Abigail

Her thin legs knock together and

her slender arms shiver.

Her tiny toes,

papaya-pink polish glossing each nail,

grip the edge of the wooden plank.

Her brand new blue bathing suit is dry

and her hair is pulled

tightly into a long, brown ponytail.

Her wide, green eyes

stare

past the edge of the dock,

and out onto the placid lake.

She is calculating.

What sensation lies underneath the glassy surface that separates air from water?

Her freckled face tenses.

Eyes clamp shut,

lips seal tight.

Deep breath.

Knees bend.

A leap.

A splash.

Nothing for a moment

and then,

as she emerges from underneath,

a gasp of breath.

She is alive.

Thaddeus

A young boy’s nose pressed up against the window screen—

his tiny awestruck face is illuminated by blue lightning across the water.

His eyes are bright

with wonder.

The sky lights up again.

Another bolt cracks

through the cloudy night.

Romans

Marching down the pathway—

into the trees,

the ground

littered with debris

from last night’s storm—

he comes

wielding

a plain, blunt shovel.

A black snake,

likely displaced

by the wind

that blew through

the wooded peninsula,

is poised to strike.

The man raises the shovel

above his head

and the dull metal glints

for a moment

as he begins to speak.

"Lunch will be at

twelve-fifteen."

The snake halts,

frozen

at his feet.

"Romans eight.

For the creation was subjected to futility,

not willingly,"

He quickly and accurately

lowers the

spade, crushing

the head of the

serpent.

"but because of him

who subjected it,

in hope that the creation itself

will be set free"

The shovel sinks

through the snake's flesh.

It writhes on the ground—

contorting—

limp for a moment

and then stiffened throughout.

"from its bondage to corruption

and obtain the freedom

of the glory

of the children

of God."

Its body shoots upward,

curling rapidly around

the handle.

Grasping for life

that is slowly

slipping away.

Its final battle against

metal and wood and man—

futile.

"For we know that the whole creation

has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

And not only the creation,

but we ourselves,

who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,

groan

inwardly

as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons,

the redemption of our bodies."

The serpent is dead.

Its loss is His victory.