Scorpions

“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” [James 3:8]

Kanchana Ketkeaw made herself comfortable in the glass box where she lived for 32 days. She had a refrigerator, television, magazines, a small plant and 3,400 scorpions! On October 23, 2002, Kanchana emerged from the room, setting an unofficial world record for the longest stay in a room full of poisonous scorpions. She said, “It was like being in a room at home, only with thousands of little friends.”

Living with scorpions was not unusual for the 30-year-old Thai entertainer. She has performed with the menacing little creatures daily as a tourist attraction, even putting them in her mouth as part of the routine. And Kanchana has been stung hundreds of times. She was stung nine times during the record-breaking stay in the 130-square-foot room. She was stung once when she got out of bed without looking at the floor. But Kanchana says the venom has little effect on her because of the immunity she has built up over seven years.

Some of the scorpions died in the glass chamber and new ones were added. Some even gave birth. She fed them a daily mixture of raw egg and ground pork. Her room at a resort town department store had a bed and a toilet guarded from the public eye by a curtain. Kanchana was allowed to leave her room for 15 minutes every eight hours to shower. She did have a difficult time getting to sleep because the mall, where her cubicle was set up, didn’t close until late.

The previous world record was set the previous year by a Malaysian woman who endured 30 days with 2,700 scorpions. Before her recordbreaking attempt was approved, Kanchana had to send a full report, including video footage and photos, to the Guinness World Records office in London. You can’t help but wonder what would possess a young woman to willingly live with scorpions.

But thousands of young people are stung everyday by choosing to marry the wrong person. The Bible says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). When choosing a marriage partner, it is important that you both follow God’s Word or you may end up biting and devouring one another!