Just the other day...I was sitting at our computer by the window, checking on the weather for the day. From behind the blinds I heard a noise and immediately thought there had to be a lizard in the house...again. Great! I said something about it to the girls and they went screaming out of the room. I timidly and very carefully peeked behind the blind, standing back as far as possible. I was immediately disgusted by what I saw.
It was a huge cockroach.
HUGE (as in ginormous...like a granddaddy cockroach).
That nasty thing was scampering away so fast I had to do something! I couldn't leave it alive in my house! And the girls would want to be reassured that I had taken care of the problem.
So I did what any of you would do...I snatched off my shoe and then hit it...hard. Down it fell, guts partially out (sorry, but the title of this IS "Bug Guts", ya know!). There it laid, upside down on the inside of the blinds and I felt sure my hubby would do the rest of the dirty work when he got home. So I left it there, cause I have a "thing" about touching a bug. I'll kill it with my shoe (maybe), but if it's a monstrosity like this thing, I'm NOT touching it, not even with a paper towel. What if it did that crunchy-sounding thing?!?! You know that sound?! Nope. No way. Not me. That's why God gave me a husband (smile and a wink)!
Feeling like a hero, I returned to my quest of deciding what we needed to wear for the day...pants or shorts. Then I got sidetracked by a few emails and just as I was ready to get up, I heard a noise coming from behind the blind.
NO WAY!
That nasty thing was crawling back up the inside of the window, guts hanging out and all. I could not believe what I was seeing! It had fooled me into thinking it was actually dead.
This time, I was mad. Poor bug didn't stand a chance now.
Off came the shoe and SMACK!!! (Yeah baby! Take that you nasty bug!!)
I was busy reassuring myself of a job well-done when I looked down at my arm and noticed black and yellow spots. Yep, you guessed it...
Bug guts....splattered....all over my arm.
You've never seen a person run so fast to the sink to scour their arm! I'm so glad my husband didn't witness the double-slaying of the bug, cause he'd still be rolling on the floor right at this very moment.
As funny as that story is now, later in the day, I realized there might be a little more to what had happened....perhaps...a spiritual lesson even??? (God has a sense of humor, you know!)
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How many times have you gone after sin with all your spiritual might thinking you had victory, only to have it rear it's ugly head once again? I know I have!!!
I have thought, "Ahhhh, I finally GET IT and I'll never do that again. Thank You, Lord." Then, ho-hum, I go on my merry way feeling so good. "Whew, glad I can check THAT one off my list!"
And when I'm not looking and not paying attention, suddenly, that nasty sin is crawling back into my life...sometimes even nastier, with it's guts hanging out.
It's then that I'm shaken from my stuper, the fog lifts, and I get mad about it!!! Mad as in, ready to do battle!!!
I don't know about you, but it's in those times that I cry out more fervently. I become tenacious. I realize the second time around that the stakes are even higher. I think, "Uh-uh. No way! I'm not going back there! I can't leave this thing 'alive' in my life!"
I'm no expert (faaaar from it), but sometimes I think God allows testing to reawaken us, to shake us out of complacency, and to draw us closer to Him, the ONLY ONE who can help us defeat those besetting weaknesses and sins that plague us all. He's also, I believe, doing a little heart check on us...helping us to clearly see where our allegiance lies.
Each time we hit our knees to do warfare against the enemy and his schemes in our life, we gain the upper hand and win a victory! We recapture precious territory in our lives. Most importantly, we remind him of his destiny!
And we become stronger...ready and prepared for the next battle...remaining even more vigilant just in case it happens again. If it does come again, our guard will be up because this time, we will be watching!!! Who wants sin to remain ALIVE in their life?!
After the slaying, we might rise up with "bug guts" all over us, but it can be washed quickly away by the Master's hand...no problem!
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So, who knew a cockroach could teach such a valuable lesson? Maybe next time you see one, you'll think of this and be reminded to remain vigilant over sin in your life!!!
Let me leave you with the following verses:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
James 1: 2 - 4
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