Bees.

Bees and ants.

It seems as though they are invading our house, both inside and out.  The ants have made their way through into the downstairs bathroom and somehow up the wall to Helen’s room and into her bed.  The poor girl woke up with 3 bites in between the same two fingers.

And the bees, well, they invaded our cups of lemonade during recess today.  There were at least 3-4 caught in each child’s portion of lemonade.  Thank goodness no one tried to take a gulp and swallowed the little suckers.

Bees and ants.

I think the road work and new houses going in adjacent to our house could be the culprit.  Perhaps those little guys are losing their homes because we are building more for the invading humans.  Maybe we are the bad guys!

But the attack of their little bodies on our huge established house has become more than an annoyance.  They hurt Helen in her sleep and they were a source of danger today as we played.

And it got me thinking…

There are ants and bees attacking our thoughts and our hearts everyday.  They are usually seemingly small and insignificant thoughts or feelings that invade our peace of mind and rob us of joy.  They start out as just one or two feelings of doubt or a lack of self-worth and can grow to be an invasion of an all-consuming FUNK.  Anyone who breaths air knows what I’m referring to.  It happens to all of us regardless of how successful, how happy, how “established.”  Have you seen an ant carry a lifesaver on his lone back?  That little stinker is pretty powerful.  And the ants that pick up our joy and peace with intentions of carrying them far off can do more harm than we realize.

Today I saw the insects not only get our drinks, but also the best of our hearts.  One daughter, (who shall remain nameless to protect her identity), was attacked my an ant of discouragement.  It seems that a certain math concept had gotten the best of her.  Then she was stung by a bee of disappointment in one of her poem assignments.  The sting caused her whole “body” to  swell up and be infected.  This mental “bite” was taking ahold of her entire heart, mind, and soul.  She was talking and trying to explain through tears and ill temperament, but the words were not making sense.  It was if her tongue was swollen and her throat was cutting off her airway.

The same happens to me when I allow those little ants or bees attack my identity, value, and worth.  It can be a small reminder of sin or hurt.  It can be a lack of sleep.  Hunger… that’s more like the size of a beaver. (I know, not very intimidating, but that’s the only animal I could think of!)

Much like we need an exterminator to come and rid us of our infestation in our house, we also need help for our hearts.  Raid-X works by killing bugs DEAD, right?  We need something that kills our mental and emotional bugs DEAD.  We need to be fumigated by a lethal dose of another kind.  Each and everyday, we should seek for the Holy Spirit to fill our spiritual houses, letting him seep into every crack and crevice of our hearts, where those awful bees and ants work to take root.  Through the Holy Spirit and his healing work, we can be reminded of forgiveness and restoration, when that bee of sin and hurt takes flight.  The Holy Spirit reveals the promise of our salvation to renew our joy, when the ant of sadness or gloom starts crawling in our bed.  The Holy Spirit pours grace and mercy on us, adorning us with a crown of adoption as God’s children and coheirs with Christ, when the beavers come to chop down our trees of value, worth and identity.

Asking the Spirit to fumigate and take control of those little critters is a daily need and has to be part of the routine.  They are sneaky and conniving, devious and sly.  Just when we think we can relax and sit down for a nice glass of lemonade, they are out to get us.

Thank goodness that the power of the Holy Spirit, the wonderful gift that he is, is the same power that conquered death.  Thank goodness that we have a Savior who has won the victory over the Deceiver and claims us as His own.  How much more can Jesus and his Spirit that lives in us kill a few ants!

Our memory verse for this week is Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Sometimes, I think my ant and bee invasion starts with trusting my own thoughts and feelings above and beyond what the Lord says about me or my situation.  Relying on my own interpretation of events, circumstances, or conversations can be a breeding ground for those biting and stinging creatures.  In all of my ways, from how I feel about my newly dyed hair to how I feel about my decision to “family rehab”, if I acknowledge him and what his word tells me about all of it, I am much better off.  And he gives me a straight path, (one might even say- a bee line-), to safer ground away from those nagging bugs.