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Christian Living

Spiritual Life

What's Bugging You?

pest-control-worker
Author Biography

    Beth's been writing and producing web content for CBN since 2008. Her empty nest now homes a German shepherd named Princess Leia and a hound dog named Rufus.

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Beth Patch - Senior Internet Editor & Producer

When I lifted the blanket off the floor where my dog slept the night before, I screamed. A huge water bug! I stood perfectly still, watching to see which direction it would take to escape me. It remained in its place - frozen. Thankfully, it was already dead.

Great, I muttered as I plodded down the hall for my broom and dustpan. Now we'll need to spray the whole house with insecticide. Why do we call them water bugs anyhow? Roaches on steroids is what they are — horrible, huge, fast, creepy roaches!

When I returned, I bent down to make sure the intruder was all-the-way dead before daring to whisk it into the dustpan. Heaven forbid it should wiggle while en route to the trashcan and cause me to freak-out.

What? This was no roach at all. It was a balled-up, flattened out piece of blanket strings my puppy had chewed up – conveniently posing as a huge water bug! How silly of me to get so worked up over this would-be bug anyhow, I thought.

As I swept the imposter into my dustpan, I felt that beautiful nudge from the Holy Spirit. The message to my soul was about my attitude.

You see, I am involved in a project that's been weighing heavy on me. It's taking longer than I expected, has several unresolved problems, and I keep running into barriers out of my realm of fixing. I've let it frustrate and overwhelm me.

This was God's subtle message for me: When I look at the project, I see a water bug! And it’s not. It may look like one to me, but it's not.

Ah, the reminder of how I can get worked up over things that don't deserve such energy or emotion! My vision and understanding are limited. God's aren't. He's directed many huge projects (like building the Tabernacle in the wilderness in Exodus 35-40) to carry out His good purposes.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 NLT)

I don't know how the project I'm working on will have all its kinks straightened out. My goal is to do my part with a servant's heart and not look at the difficulties as large, encroaching, and menacing bugs. They are merely a collection of old chewed-up strings.

What's bugging you today? Is it really a bug at all?

Lord, help us to trust you with everything! Our perspective is limited and our emotions can get the best of us. You are the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, and all that happens in between in our lives is under your control. Help us to remain focused on you and not our circumstances.

Copyright © Beth Patch. Used with permission.

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