Like many women I know, my wife has this thing with bugs.  She hates them.  ALL. OF. THEM!  With time she’s actually gotten better about killing them for herself, though this one particular incident was the exception.  She came through the house as I was working out and- with a putrid look on her face- said, “I tried to kill a bug and I think he got in your clothes….because I can’t find him.”  I said, “Did you look for it.”  She responded, “I just can’t.  He was huge.”  As I walked back to our bedroom I had flashbacks of the 90’s movie Arachnophobia and shuddered a little.  Not knowing what I was walking into I proceeded carefully.  I began perusing through my clothes piece by piece and doing the shake down to set this massive predator free.  After the second or third piece it came tumbling to the floor and ran to the hall.  I caught the vermin and stepped on him.  He was actually tiny in comparison to the image I had in my head.  I asked my wife, “Is this it?” referring to the freshly murdered corpse of this miniature creature at my feet.  She responded, “I don’t know, but he was HUGE!”  Again I went back to shaking my shirts expecting ‘big momma’ to fall out as I assumed I had only killed her offspring.  I began a second round of shaking, then a third.  Nothing.  After a few minutes I realized I had already rid the world of the ‘HUGE’ bug (You’re welcome – by the way).  As I scooped him up with a napkin I giggled at how insignificant it was to me but how massive it seemed to my wife.

We’ve all heard that looks can be deceiving.  We know from experience that perception and reality don’t always tend to match up.  Fear (or the lack of fear) can affect how we view the things around us.  What may seem simple and infantile to some may seemed magnified and strike deep fear, worry, or regret in others.  The situation with my wife caused me to laugh as I’m not afraid of bugs.  But put me in the vicinity of a snake of any size and, well, let’s just say those around me will get a good laugh at my expense.  Have you ever experienced anxiety over something and, months later, realized you had blown things out of proportion?  I dare say we all do.  Psalms 56 finds David as he’s been captured by the Philistines in Gath.  In verses 3-4 he states, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid.  What can mere mortals do to me?”  This coming from a man that experienced some type of battle all his life.  He could have chosen to allow himself to be overtaken by the worries of his current reality but his experiences had taught him the answer to every issue he encountered.  Trust in God.  Sounds simple but we tend to make it hard.  Think about it.  If we could learn to reflect on our past and what God has brought us through the moment adversity hits we wouldn’t be nearly as stressed or worried.  We would know He’s already worked it out.

Closing remarks and encouragement:  From our point of view we see mountains standing in our way.  From his point of view it all looks flat and easily maneuverable.  Maybe the answer is simply shifting our view?  Better yet, maybe we should just look back.  If He brought us through that, surely he will bring us through this.

Have a blessed week my friends!