Thank God for Biting Flies

by Michele Boy | May 18, 2023

I am writing this on Wednesday morning. Tomorrow is the last day of school here in Syracuse. 
Summer break is here. 
We have had a little bit of rain fall, some chances on the radar. Have you seen the Miller moths around here? Wow they are crazy. 
 But, they aren’t the black biting flies. I compare most everything in town to that. 
Thank God the wind is blowing, no biting flies. 
Millers  are annoying but not flies.
 Do you do that? Look at your circumstance with perspective of what it could be?
 I saw a story on Corrie ten Boom who helped hide the Jews during the Holocaust. 
When she was found and imprisoned, the barracks she lived in  were miserable, packed, with tiny beds. Even more horrible, the barracks  were infested with fleas. 
She smuggled a bible in. All the while, she never understood why she had so much freedom in those barracks. No one confiscated the bible. And she was able to minister to others and pray with them. 
 Corrie and her sister Betsie were Christians. Her sister prayed to God, Show us how to live . 
 And the answer she received was Give Thanks In All Circumstances. 
They thanked God they were together. That they could hold hands. 
But Corrie said, “Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.”
  It was only later she learned the guards didn’t want to go in there because of the fleas. 
  On a much lighter note, I remember watching a professional baseball game when swarms of gnats flew onto the field making pitching almost impossible. 
But one of the teams had a pitcher who grew up around them and it didn’t faze him. Guess who won the game?
 Right now I know many who are battling painful tough times. The battles they are facing, I wouldn’t wish on anyone. 
Some I have lived through myself. 
 Giving thanks when its hard? Giving thanks when it’s annoying? 
Maybe the pressure is preparing you for something great. 
What if that is the purpose? 
If you could see into the future and could see how those battles prepared you to help others, to become stronger.
 How many times have you read about the overnight success story? When in actuality they had been plugging away for 20 years. 
 I’m not sure who needs to hear this but sometimes the battle is God’s. Sometimes the battle is to fight. Sometimes the battle is to let go. And sometimes the battle is to persevere. 
It’s different for everyone. 
 I sat in church on Mother’s Day struggling to listen to a message that had nothing to do with me. It brought up feelings of frustration because Mother’s Day is filled with heartache for so many I know. 
 But remembering all of the pain in perspective has made me a better mom. 
It was a reminder that the message was for other people in the church. And I hope they got something out of it. 
For me the message reminded me some of my demons are not purified out yet. 
 What’s your battle? Do you have to go to God on your knees and say Show ME!
 Thank God my mom left when I was little. The way things would have worked out would have been awful.
God has a plan even when we don’t understand it. 
 Almighty fortress, You go before us
Nothing can stand against the power of our God
You shine in the shadow, You win every battle
Nothing can stand against the power of our God- Phil Wickham