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If you have ever taken a look at my website or read any of my blogs, then you know that I love experiencing the outdoors through the lens of my camera and then sharing with you how each photo points to our marvelous Creator – his power, his wisdom, his gifts for which we should always be grateful. I am continually amazed as I observe my Father’s world, and my goal is to glorify him through the messages I write. As everyone is well aware (unless you happen to be Jared Leto after coming home from a twelve day silent meditation in the desert), things are different in the world right now because of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019. We’re all having to make adjustments in our daily lives, and we don’t really enjoy the inconveniences, necessary as they are. I have been grateful, though, for all who have shared on social media about the blessings they have discovered along their journeys “into the unknown” world of social distancing. (Yes, my granddaughter loves Frozen II, and I love to hear her sing “Into the Unknown!”) I pray that you all take some time each day to count your blessings and identify new blessings you’ve discovered through your modified daily routines.

I also hope that you all take some time each day to pray for people all over the world who have lost dear loved ones during this pandemic and for those who are still battling the illness. Pray for those racing to develop a vaccine and to find effective treatments for the symptoms of this sickness. And please take time to remember in prayer those who must continue to work so the rest of us can still have access to necessities, who must work to care for our sick family members, who must work to care for our elderly loved ones, who risk their own health and their own lives by doing their jobs. My husband, a package car driver for UPS, is one of those people still required to work, so, as you pray for the strength and health of all the “essential workers,” I would certainly appreciate any prayers you could send up for him. Lastly, don’t forget to pray for those who wish they could report to work and who may be wondering how they will provide for their families. Never underestimate the power of prayer!

It seems that my activities during this past week have revolved around the letter “c” (like Sesame Street is brought to you today by the letter “c”). I have been cleaning, coloring, crafting, cooking, and, of course, consuming calories! So I thought I would continue with that theme in my blog today, by counting my blessings and sharing some photos of those blessings.

I know that many of you have already been counting your blessings and making the most of these difficult and different times. Another thing that was different for most of us yesterday (Sunday) was the way we worshiped, so I imagine that we are all thankful for the blessing of technology that made live streamed sermons and services possible. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about worshiping in this way, but now I can say with certainty that it was a bigger blessing than I ever imagined it could be. After listening to the sermon our preacher had prepared, my husband and I decided to sing a song before having communion. I guess we weren’t exactly sure how we would conduct ourselves for worship, or we would have chosen a song beforehand. Ironically, the first song that came to Robert’s mind was “Oft We Come Together,” but it turned out to be the most appropriate song anyone could have chosen. As we sang the words “Help us Lord, thy love to see, may we all in truth and spirit worship thee,” we had the most personal and intimate worship service we’ve ever experienced. Not because no one else was present. But because we could feel the presence of and strong connection to Christians all around the world who were worshiping in similar fashions. After communion, we concluded with another song and a prayer. The song that came to Robert’s mind this time was “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.” I sadly admit that I sometimes inwardly sigh when this song is led as a closing song for a worship service. Maybe you can relate. It’s just that I’ve probably sung it a thousand times, and, somewhere along the way, I quit paying attention to the words. But God recaptured my attention yesterday! Every word of that song had new meaning and touched us both deeply. We struggled to finish singing the song as tears were flowing down our faces. I feel now that this song will always be a favorite.

Blest be the tie that bind our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne, we pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.

We share our mutual woes; our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.
by John Fawcett

The Lord truly helped us yesterday to understand and see his love and to worship in truth and spirit. We felt the tie that binds us together and shared the common fears and hopes of Christians everywhere. We came to understand the pain of being apart and look forward to meeting together again – hopefully soon!

So please continue to count your blessings during this pandemic. Find new blessings for which to be thankful. These different times provide new ways to serve, to show Christ’s love, and to let our lights shine. I know many of you are already taking advantage of these opportunities and bringing blessings to others, so may we all continue to grow closer together as Christians, as communities, and as a country, while we practice social distancing.

I know my title sounds strange, but hopefully it will make sense by the time you finish reading! Today’s pictures represent different types of symbiosis. And “What does that mean?” you might ask. Symbiosis is defined as a close association between two different species, and there are 3 main types of symbiosis in nature. Mutualism is the type represented in the above picture. Both species are benefited in this type of symbiosis. I’m sure you can recognize how the butterfly and the plant both benefit from their relationship. The butterfly gets food and it helps pollinate the flower. Bees also have a mutualistic relationship with flowers. Of course, the two species are not intentionally trying to help each other; they’re just surviving, and they aren’t exhibiting any type of learned behaviors.

A second type of symbiosis is commensalism, a relationship in which one species benefits but the other is neither harmed nor benefited. Some people have described the clown fish and sea anemone as commensalism, because it was thought that only the clown fish was benefited (by being protected by the anemone). It’s now known that the clown fish benefits the anemone by scaring away predators and cleaning the anemone and possibly by drawing other fish (prey) towards the anemone. So what is an actual example of commensalism. You may have seen cattle egrets in a field of cows or even perched on the cows. Typically, this relationship is described as commensalism, because the cows are usually not affected while the egrets find insects that are disturbed by the grazing animals. Sometimes it’s harder to find true examples of commensalism than it is to find examples of other types of symbiosis. In the case of the egrets, sometimes they are found sitting on the livestock and eating the insects that may be irritating the cows or horses. Sounds like mutualism in that instance! Here’s another case that may be a truer example of commensalism – orchids growing on trees. Orchids are epiphytes, which just means they are plants that grow on other plants. Orchids gain an advantage doing this because they aren’t being trampled or eaten by animals on the ground, and they are closer to the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. They do not, however, take any nutrients from the tree, so it is not really affected at all.

Mistletoe, on the other hand, does harm the tree on which it grows, and that brings me to the last type of symbiosis I wanted to mention. Parasitism is a relationship in which one species benefits (the parasite) and the other species is harmed (the host). I’m sure lots of examples come to your mind – ticks, fleas, tapeworms, etc. Typically, a parasite lives in or on a host, but there are different categories of parasitism (I’m only going to describe one and it’s represented in the pictures below).

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In the photos above, the larger bird is a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird (sorry for the poor quality photos), and the smaller bird is its “foster” parent. Notice how the cowbird appears to be begging for food from the little sparrow, and it does finally receive a morsel. This whole scenario was very comical to watch, but it also piqued my curiosity. I used the Google Lens feature on my phone (love that feature) with my photos, got some possible matches, and did a little more research from there. It just so happens that the Brown-headed Cowbird is considered a brood parasite. You may already know all about these cowbirds, but I did not! The females don’t make nests, but they produce a lot of eggs, which they lay in the nests of other species of birds. In fact, there may be over 220 species that the cowbirds will use as hosts, and most of those species don’t recognize the cowbird eggs in their nests. Some can distinguish the cowbird eggs from their own but are too small to remove them from their nests. They may try to build new nests over the old ones and hope the cowbirds don’t return. A few larger birds are actually able to remove the cowbird eggs from their nests.

These cowbird babies often hatch before the foster mother’s eggs and take her attention away from her own young. They also grow faster and may knock the other eggs or newly hatched young from the nest or even smother them. This behavior has actually caused some bird species to become endangered.

A multitude of examples of symbiotic relationships exist in the world (remember those are relationships between two different species), and then there are relationships between organisms of the same species. I’m thinking right now about organisms like social insects or other organisms that live in colonies – like vampire bats. You probably already know something about the different roles for different types of bees in a colony and how they work for the benefit of the entire hive. You might not know, however, about some of the interactions between bats in a colony. (No pictures of vampire bats to come!) Even though the vampire bats are social animals, they actually feed alone and may sometimes be unsuccessful in their hunting. When a hungry bat makes it back to its community, it can rely on others to feed it by regurgitating blood into its mouth. If a bat is known not to have shared with others, it most likely will not get fed if it comes back from an unsuccessful hunt. Research has shown that the bats share their food so that others will do the same for them if needed.

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So, why all the talk about relationships in the natural world?? As I observe and learn about different interactions among and within different species, my thoughts transition to our human relationships – how we interact with and treat our friends, family members, and neighbors. As humans, we can choose how we treat others. We aren’t just trying to survive on our instincts. We can choose to be kind and helpful without expecting anything in return. Or we can choose to act out of selfishness, trying to get everything we want with no concern for others. The Bible certainly has a lot to say about how we should treat others, so let’s take a look at a few passages.

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Jesus taught us how to treat our neighbors when he answered the lawyer’s questions in Luke 10. The lawyer knew he was supposed to love his neighbor as himself, but he asked Jesus “who is my neighbor?” I’m sure you all are familiar with Jesus’ answer, known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). At the end of Jesus’ story, he had the lawyer answer his own question. When Jesus asked him about who proved to be a neighbor to the man who was beaten and robbed, the lawyer responded, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “You go, and do likewise.” Our neighbors aren’t just those who live next door to us. They can be any people with whom we come into contact – and we are to show mercy. It doesn’t have to mean caring for someone’s injuries or paying for their care. It could just involve a simple smile or compliment, because sometimes there are wounds that aren’t visible. Kindness and attention might just be the perfect medicine!

Jesus also spoke the statement that has come to be known as the Golden Rule, found in Luke 6:31 and Matthew 7:12. “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” This command sort of reminds me of the vampire bats (minus the blood-sucking) and how they feed each other if necessary. And Paul gives us a long list of ways to treat others in Romans 12:9-21, including loving one another, showing hospitality, blessing those who persecute us, living in harmony, and even treating our enemies with kindness. Those verses are some of my favorites, and I need to read them often for the reminders. But I also love Paul’s words in Philippians 2:3-8. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” We aren’t to do anything out of selfishness, and we are to put other’s needs above our own – following Jesus’ example of humility.

There are so many more scriptures I could include that tell us how we should treat each other, but I’ll stop with the ones mentioned. Think about all of your relationships. Let’s choose to live a little more like clown fish with sea anemones and bees and butterflies with flowers – helping each other. Let’s choose to live a lot less like a parasitic cowbird – not caring who we harm to get what we want. Let’s choose to live a little more like a vampire bat – lending a helping hand when needed. (I know that sounds strange!) We have the choice! Let’s choose to live in harmony, to live peacefully, to treat even our enemies with kindness. Learn a few lessons from birds, bees, butterflies, and vampire bats!

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Sources

• https://phys.org/news/2015-11-vampire-group.html
• https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/overview#

There is absolutely no doubt that I have more photos of birds than of any other animal! I never get tired of watching them and their antics, and, obviously, I never get tired of photographing them. The photo above of the white-throated sparrow is probably one of my all-time favorites. I guess that’s partly because it’s a beautiful little bird and partly because it reminds me of the scriptures that tell us how God cares for us, particularly Matthew 10:29-31. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Parallel passage in Luke 12:6-7) As I write this, I’m mindful of so many people who are suffering hardships at this time – loss of loved ones, life-threatening illnesses, family disagreements and break-ups, financial difficulties, and more. We aren’t told that a godly life will be an easy life, but Peter does tell us in I Peter 5: 7 to cast our cares on God because he cares for us. I pray that anyone reading these words will be comforted by the message they contain.

It seems that we have a natural tendency to worry, even when things are going well in our lives. I have memories of worrying about all sorts of things as a little girl – usually triggered from something seen on a television show like “The Waltons” or “Little House on the Prairie.” To this day, I don’t like to watch reruns of those shows – pretty silly, I know. What did all of that worrying do for me? Absolutely nothing!!! Except maybe give me high blood pressure. As a teenager, I often had high blood pressure with no physical reason for it. My doctor finally decided it was due to my nervous personality. Worry was literally harming my health! Throughout my adult years, I found myself worrying less and less. Well, let me rephrase that – I found that I wasn’t allowing my worry to consume me. Yes, I still worried, but, if I could do anything to fix what worried me, I did it. If not, I prayed about it and let it go.

What allowed me to do this? I think part of the answer was maturity and life experiences. I realized that every difficulty I faced had a way of coming to a favorable conclusion – even if I didn’t recognize it as such at the time. I realized that God deserved the credit for those outcomes and that I should rely more fully on him in the future. In the middle of the storm, you may think you won’t survive, but our God is faithful! There are hundreds of verses in the Bible that speak of his steadfast love and his faithfulness to us, as long as we seek him and trust him. (Don’t worry – I’m not going to share all of them!) Lamentations 3:22-25 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Psalm 32:10 tells us, “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.” How comforting these words should be – if we could only remember them during times of trial!

Another passage that teaches us the importance of placing our trust in God is found in Jeremiah 17:7-8. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” No worries! If we trust in God, he will meet our needs, which is also the message found in Matthew 6.

So let’s get back to the birds (which inspired my blog this week) by reading Matthew 6:25-34. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

It makes sense that these verses from Matthew, along with the one quoted at the beginning of this blog (Matthew 10:29-31) were the inspiration for the famous hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” Civilla D. Martin wrote the beautiful lyrics after visiting a sick friend. Here is her story in her own words:

“Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” was the outcome of that experience.”

http://dianaleaghmatthews.com/his-eye-is-on-the-sparrow/#.XiJvYMhKjIU

Just in case you aren’t familiar with Mrs. Martin’s song, I’ll share the lyrics with you.

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
when Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain: I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
for His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
when songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Copyright – Public Domain

Some versions of the song change the phrase “and I know He watches me” to “and I know He cares for me” in the last verse, and that’s where I got my title for this blog post.

I know it isn’t easy to stop the worrying. It isn’t easy to maintain our faith during hardships. It isn’t easy to find joy in tribulations, yet James 1:2-3 tells us to do just that. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” How do we find joy during struggles?????? We first have to realize that there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is an emotion that is usually temporary and is based on external circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, as defined by Clark Tatum in his book Journey into a Joy Filled Life, “is the pleasure of knowing the blessings that flow from the fountain of God’s grace and mercy.” Joy is triggered by internal circumstances rather than external. As my preacher (Adrian Ayers) said in last Sunday’s sermon, “Joy is a favorable outlook produced by a life directed by God’s will,” and it can occur even in difficult situations. It is a wonderful feeling, a deep peace, that only comes from knowing God and his spiritual blessings.

We will still worry, we will still struggle with our faith at times, and we will still fail to rejoice in hardships, but hopefully meditating on some of the scriptures presented here can help. You may also ask yourself the following questions to help you find joy on your journey through this life (also from Adrian Ayers’ sermon last Sunday). (1) Why may God be allowing me to experience my present journey? (2) What is God teaching me in my present experience? (3) Who may God be leading me to today?

Sometimes people use the saying “this is for the birds” to refer to something that is useless or senseless. God’s watchfulness and care for us is definitely NOT just “for the birds.” Whenever you see one of these marvels of God’s creation, may you be reminded to cast your anxieties on him, and may you find peace and joy in your struggles, knowing that your reward is not to be found on this earth but in an eternal home with God – free from any sadness and hardships!

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Like a lot of nursery rhymes, the one above has a bit of a dark history. No one can say for sure what is the exact interpretation of this popular children’s rhyme, but some say that the “Mary” here is Mary Queen of Scots and that the “silver bells and cockleshells” represent ornaments on a dress given to her by the Dauphin of France, her first husband. The “pretty maids” are said to refer to her ladies in waiting. Okay, so that interpretation doesn’t seem so dark. The more sinister and seemingly the most popular version of the poem’s origin, however, hinges on the belief that Mary is actually Queen Mary I (Mary Tudor), more infamously known as “Bloody Mary.” When she became Queen, it is said that she tried to change back to the Catholic Church in an effort to break away from the Church of England. In the process, she persecuted many Protestants, so the “silver bells and cockleshells” are believed to be instruments of torture and the “pretty maids all in a row” are those in line to be executed. And the “garden?” Well, that would be the cemetery, growing with the increasing number of graves due to the executions!

That scene is certainly not the scene I envisioned as a little girl when I first learned that nursery rhyme. I just had a simple, peaceful picture in my mind of a woman growing beautiful flowers – like the dahlias in some of the pictures to follow. And the garden was a relaxing place to enjoy some sunshine and admire the scenery – like at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. All of the photos in today’s post were taken in Longwood Gardens in September, 2019.

One thing is true about any garden, mine or yours or Mary’s. It will grow what you sow (as well as a few weeds that you didn’t sow – but something else did)! That was God’s plan, as we can read in Genesis 1:11-12. “And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” Of course, I know that you all understand this concept, and I know that none of you have ever planted lima beans and expected corn to grow! So why all this talk about gardens in the middle of winter? It’s not the right time to be planting lima beans or corn anyway. Some of you might think it’s never the right time to plant lima beans, but I’m not really interested in physical gardens at the moment. I want to consider the question “How does your garden grow?” from the nursery rhyme and answer it from a spiritual perspective. And maybe you can do the same. Lots of people make resolutions at the beginning of a new year, so it seems like now is the perfect time to be thinking about gardens and what we will be sowing, and consequentially reaping, in the new year and the new decade.

The Bible is full of references to gardening – planting seed, harvesting, bearing fruit – and probably the most well known example is Jesus’ parable of the sower. (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:3-20, Luke 8:4-15) In this story, we see God’s word described as seed, and we see how the seed grows and produces (or fails to produce) in different types of soil, the hearers of the word. Take this first month of the new year to reflect on how well your seed has grown in the past year or years. How do you keep God’s seed growing in your heart, or what changes do you need to make to improve your soil? These are questions that I’m asking myself. If God’s word is the seed I want to be growing, then I know I need to spend more time learning his word – more time reading it, studying it, meditating on it, and praying for wisdom about how to use it. Maybe I also need to do a better job keeping the weeds out of my garden – being more careful about the things I watch on television, read in books, magazines, or social media, and listen to on the radio or on podcasts. Let’s strive to be the good soil, so that when we hear the word, we “hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15)

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Besides considering how my garden grows in my own heart (mind), I have to consider how it’s growing in my home. Am I setting a proper example for my husband, which could be like fertilizer for his spiritual growth? My children are grown and now have families of their own, but my actions still influence them as well. If you still have children at home, I know you don’t need me to tell you that they don’t miss anything! As I watch my granddaughter grow, I’m reminded of this quite often. And we shouldn’t miss any opportunity to nurture, water, and prep that soil – in our own children or in grandchildren, nieces, or nephews! Albert Einstein once said, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means.” By the examples we set, we are preparing the soil. What type of soil will it be?

How does your garden grow in social and public settings, like work or recreational activities? A good example is just as crucial in these settings, so I want to share another “example” statement with you. It has been said that there are some things you cannot be, no matter how hard you try, but there is one thing you will always be, whether you try or not – an example. Do your co-workers know you are a Christian? Do you gossip, lie, get angry easily, use foul language, scream at the opposing team or the referees, get road rage, dress inappropriately, and …….? It’s not always easy to stand out and stand up for the right things, but, if we don’t, our influence as Christians is weakened. We are surrounded by people in many social aspects of our lives who are not Christians, and we should be fighting to take that soil away from the devil. One way we can fight is by making sure that our everyday, public actions are having the right influences on those around us.

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Maybe these words have caused you to reflect on your past gardening endeavors and motivated you to become better gardeners in the coming year. I know that I miss many opportunities daily to prepare the soil and plant the seed of God’s word, but my goal is to do a better job of recognizing and taking advantage of those opportunities. There’s another part of this process, however, that can’t be neglected – that of gathering the harvest. Jesus said in John 4:35-38, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest?’ Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Harvest time is always a time of joy and satisfaction. Sometimes the one who does the sowing isn’t the one who does the reaping, but both share in the rewards of the harvest. The late Batsell Barrett Baxter told a modern parable of a group of workers being hired to harvest a field:

Upon arrival, the workers immediately saw the need to sharpen tools, repair fences, and to prepare a shelter for their place of rest. Finishing this, they saw it was now time for a good lunch. They then felt so unworthy of such a great work they all bathed and put on fresh clothing. As they prepared to enter the field, they discovered the day was spent and the sun was going down.

So these wonderful people (like us) turn back, sorrowing with guilty feelings, to meet the man who owns the field. He comes to meet them, expecting shoulders laden with heavy bags of grain, but instead, he finds only beautiful tools and the story of wonderful fences and fine clothes and a good dinner and a shelter to take care of those who work. He asks sadly, “But where is the harvest?” They had no words to speak.

As we strive to become better gardeners for the Lord in 2020, let’s make sure we cultivate the seed in our own hearts first, and then we can prep the soil, plant the seed, and nurture it in those around us. And don’t neglect the harvest! Gardening is never an easy task, and gardening for God is no different. It takes time and patience, and we aren’t promised an easy row to hoe. Are you ready to rise to the challenge?? Then start sowing, growing, and hoeing, and remember the message in Galatians 6:7-8. YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW! How does your garden grow?

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Sources

• https://allnurseryrhymes.com/mary-mary-quite-contrary/
• https://curiosity.com/topics/mary-mary-quite-contrary-has-a-bloody-horrific-origin-curiosity/
• https://whatdoeshistorysay.blogspot.com/2012/07/dark-history-behind-nursery-rhyme-mary.html
• https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Nursery-Rhymes/
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Longwood-Gardens
• https://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/longwood-gardens-preservation-paradise

I happen to love dragonflies! It seems like I’m always finding varieties that I’ve never seen before. I think around 3,000 different species of dragonflies exist, but I only have pictures here of 8 different types, possibly 9. Recently, one of my sisters-in-law (Wanda) requested that I write a blog about dragonflies because they are her favorites. She said she loves to “watch them play in the sky,” and she wonders where they come from and where they go. She has observed that they suddenly appear at certain times of the year and then disappear just as quickly and that she rarely sees a dead one. About the only time I see a dead one is in the grill of my car. Anyway, I loved her questions and love dragonflies also, so I was happy to comply with her request.

Male and female dragonflies mate while flying through the air, and females will then lay eggs on a plant in the water or just drop eggs directly into the water. They prefer calmer bodies of water, like ponds and marshes, rather than rivers and streams. Dragonflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis, so they don’t have a larval stage or a pupal stage. When the eggs hatch (after maybe a week), they become nymphs, and they could remain in this stage for up to four years.

The nymphs look nothing like adult dragonflies, mostly because they have no wings. They have gills since they live underwater, and they feed on tadpoles, small fish, other insects, or even other dragonfly nymphs. If the dragonflies finish the nymph stage in early winter, they will wait until spring before emerging from the water.

When the time is right, the nymphs will emerge from the water by crawling up the stem of a plant and crack out of their exoskeletons to release their new wings. It could take hours, or even days, for their wings to harden. The first flight of a dragonfly might not be very far, but it doesn’t take long before the dragonfly is performing all sorts of aeronautical feats and flying at up to 35 miles per hour.

Adults eat other flying insects, like midges, mosquitoes, moths, butterflies, and smaller dragonflies. Besides looking for food, an adult dragonfly must mate. Males use their large compound eyes to look for females with the right flight pattern, color pattern, and size. The life span of an adult dragonfly varies according to the species, but it is probably no longer than 6 months.

The colors of young dragonflies aren’t as vivid as more mature dragonflies, and their markings aren’t as distinct either. And, as is the case with lots of animal species, adult males usually have brighter and bolder colors. This may serve as a warning to predators that the dragonfly is poisonous to them (even if it isn’t). As a dragonfly ages, its color may fade or change completely. For example, one common type changes from yellow to red.

There are so many interesting facts about dragonflies, but I can’t help but think about their life cycles and how their emergence from the water to become totally new creatures is similar to a sinner emerging from the water to begin a new life as a Christian. I think of the passage in John 3 when Jesus told Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Read the whole passage in John 3:1-21. I think of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 and how he and Philip “went down into the water” for his baptism, and how “when they came up out of the water,” the eunuch “went on his way rejoicing.” (Acts 8:38-39) I think of Paul’s words in Romans 6 about the “newness of life” we have after baptism into Christ. (Romans 6:3-14) What a glorious transformation! Like the dragonfly gaining its wings, we are set free – free from the sin that held us down. We can soar without that weight! Maybe the next time you see a dragonfly, you will think about that new life that is possible in Christ.

“The dragonfly is dancing,
Is on the water glancing.
She flits about with nimble wing,
The flickering, fluttering, restless thing.
Besotted chafers all admire
Her light blue, gauze-like, neat attire;
They laud her blue complexion,
And think her shape perfection…”

Heinrich Heine, “Die Libelle” (The Dragonfly)
Translated from German

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Sources

• https://www.dragonfly-site.com/dragonfly-life-cycle.html
• https://www.howitworksdaily.com/the-life-cycle-of-a-dragonfly/
• https://dragonflywebsite.com/dragonfly-facts.cfm

That’s certainly not a very attractive background for the gorgeous luna moth in the above photo, but the moth doesn’t care about being part of a photo shoot. It has one purpose as an adult and that purpose is to mate. And it might have a week to do so. When luna moths emerge from their cocoons, the females emit pheromones that the males detect with their feathery antennae. They mate, the females produce eggs, and the adults die. The adults don’t even have appropriate mouthparts for feeding. Their sole purpose is to reproduce.

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You can say the same thing about the purpose of an adult mayfly as you can say about the adult luna moth. Its goal is to reproduce. Mayflies are said to have the shortest life of any insect, living only about 24 hours. Keep in mind that we are only talking about the life span of the sexually mature adult, and the life span could vary slightly (shorter or longer) for different species. Mayflies mate in swarms while flying over bodies of water (or over paved roads they mistake for water). Females drop their eggs into the water, and as the adults die, they also fall back into the water and become fish food. Their sole purpose is reproduction.

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Adult dragonflies also have a very short lifespan, but they do live longer than mayflies or luna moths. They might make it up to 6 months, but their purpose is still reproduction. They do, however, have to eat, since they live longer than a day or a week, and they are predators of other flying insects. Still, it’s a short life with only two major goals – feeding and mating.

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You may remember I recently wrote about cicadas, so you may also remember that they only live about 5 weeks as adults. And, like the dragonflies, they only exist to feed and mate. A cicada has a beak-like mouthpart used for drinking sap from trees, and when it isn’t drinking, it’s probably mating or looking for mates.

You may be wondering what I’m getting at with all this talk about short life spans and eating and reproducing. Thinking about the short lives of these insects and their mostly singular purpose of species propagation makes me think about the brevity of our own lives and our purpose for existing. Sure, generally speaking, humans live much longer than all of those insects, but in the grand scheme of things, we are only promised a short time on this planet. So what are we supposed to do with the time that we have? Eat? Reproduce? Yes and yes. Work? Yes. We have those things and so many more options on which we can focus, but, like those insects, I think we also have a main purpose, which sometimes gets lost among all of our many other goals in life. The author of Ecclesiastes states our purpose best in Ecclesiastes 12:13. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Another great verse is Micah 6:8, which says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” And let’s not leave out Ephesians 2:10. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Another verse that helps me stay focused on my purpose in life is Colossians 3:17. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” If our lives aren’t centered on God and obeying his commandments, then we aren’t living with the right purpose. We only have a short time with no promise of tomorrow, so let’s make sure we go about each day with that singular purpose of keeping God’s commandments!

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Sources

• https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/luna-moth
• https://www.britannica.com/animal/mayfly
• https://www.dragonfly-site.com/how-long-dragonflies-live.html
• https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/what-do-cicadas-eat/

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Can you identify what all of the items above have in common? To me, all of the subjects of those photos are attractive in some way. Some of them are colorful, and some are both colorful and very fragrant. The color of the mushroom makes it really stand out against its drab background. Squirrels are just cute and downright adorable (if you can get past the fact that they eat up all your bird seed), and I never get tired of watching them or photographing them. But there is another characteristic that all of the living things above have in common. Each one has an element of danger associated with it. Yep, even that adorable, furry squirrel!

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I’m sure you know what’s dangerous about roses. To borrow a phrase that was the title of a 1988 Poison song, “Every rose has its thorn.” And take a look at the thorns in the pictures directly above. Those thorns belong to the pretty, white, flowering shrub in the first photo gallery, known as a Flying Dragon. So what about the azalea flowers and mimosa trees? Every part of an azalea plant contains toxins known as grayantoxins. These substances are poisonous for humans and animals and can affect the normal functioning of nerves and muscles, including the heart muscle. Smaller animals and young children are more severely affected if they ingest any part of an azalea, and the effects can sometimes be deadly. Even eating honey made from azaleas can cause symptoms. As for mimosa trees, their seed pods are very toxic, and the seeds within the pods are even more toxic. When I was growing up, I climbed and played in a lot of mimosa trees. Thankfully, I never ate any of the seed pods! But I certainly don’t remember anyone telling me that I shouldn’t. The chemicals in the seeds and pods are alkaloids that counteract the functions of vitamin B6 in the body, possibly resulting in muscle tremors and spasms and even convulsions and breathing problems. These symptoms may occur in grazing livestock if the animals consume around 1 to 1.5% of their body weight in seeds (which is possible for the animals to do at times because mimosa trees reproduce easily and can take over an area). And the plants that I’ve shown and talked about are just a few of the beautiful plants surrounding us that can be dangerous. Many other common flowers and vegetable plants have at least certain parts that are poisonous or irritating in some way.

The pretty, red-colored mushroom with the white spots in the first photo gallery is most likely a fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), which is known to be toxic and hallucinogenic. If that isn’t bad enough, what makes it even more dangerous is that you could easily confuse it with another species, one that might actually be deadly.

Coral reefs are undoubtedly some of the most breathtakingly beautiful habitats on this planet! They are, however, lurking with some potentially deadly life forms, and the coral reef itself can even pose problems for swimmers. If you happen to brush against a piece of coral while swimming, your abrasion will most likely become infected and take a long time to heal, because pieces of the coral become embedded in the wound. The actual coral animals that build the reefs have stinging cells, like sea anemones and jellyfish, so you may also get stung if swimming too close. You can see sea anemones and their long tentacles in the first photo with all the clown fish. Besides sea anemones and jellyfish (some deadly, like the Australian box jelly), there are many other dangerous animals found in a coral reef habitat. You might encounter a lionfish (seen in the first photo gallery), whose dorsal fins contain venomous spikes that cause painful, nauseating stings and possibly even heart failure. You could confront a deadly blue-ringed octopus or sea snake. You might lose part of your hand by trying to feed a moray eel. You might get spiked by a sea urchin or injected with venom from spines on the dorsal fins of a stonefish, one of the most venomous fish in the world. Those are just a few of the possible dangers that could be hiding in the colorful world of a coral reef domain, but I’m sure you get the point!

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If you attempt to feed or disturb squirrels or chipmunks, they could bite you, and they have been known to carry diseases such as salmonella, encephalitis, and rabies. They also carry parasites, like ticks, fleas, mites, and the fungus that causes ringworm. And, if squirrels happen to get into the attic or walls of your home, they can wreak havoc by chewing anything in sight, including electrical wires.

Thankfully, we go about our daily lives and aren’t really impacted by the hidden dangers in the beauty surrounding us. Sometimes it takes learning from our own mistakes or the mistakes of others to keep us from being harmed or harmed again. We are able to live around the danger and not be affected by it. Thinking about the dangers associated with some of the beautiful and attractive things in these photos got me to thinking about how the devil works. Someone once said, “The devil don’t come ugly.” Despite the grammar, that’s an important statement! We know from Ephesians 6: 11 that the devil is wily and scheming. (“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”) He portrays sinful things as fun, exciting, adventurous, pleasurable, popular, and perfectly safe. He lures us into his snare by making the bait look attractive, and then we are captives to his will. (2 Timothy 2:26 “and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”) Satan tempted Eve with beautiful fruit, and he lied about the consequences of partaking of it (Genesis 3:1-5). He tempted Christ with food when Christ was hungry (Matthew 4:2-4), and he will find our weaknesses and use them against us as well. That’s why we have to avoid the attractiveness of sin. We can’t let ourselves think that it’s okay to wade around in the cool, shallow waters of the sea of sin, or we will soon be swept away by the undertow into Satan’s deep waters. That’s why Paul tells us in Romans 12:9 to “abhor what is evil” and to “hold fast to what is good” and in I Thessalonians 5:22 to “abstain from every form of evil.” And what do we do to help us resist and avoid those things that the devil makes attractive? We wear God’s armor and defend ourselves with the sword of the Spirit (God’s word) and we pray. (Ephesians 6:13-18) I’ll wrap up with some more of Paul’s words from Philippians 4:8-9. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Sin is real. The devil is real. The devil makes sin appear very attractive, but the danger is real also.

To read more about how to protect yourself from the devil, read my lesson “Protect Yourself from Predators.”

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Sources

• https://homeguides.sfgate.com/dangers-azalea-69109.html
• https://dengarden.com/landscaping/Mimosa-trees-facts-information
• https://sciencing.com/toxicity-mimosa-tree-5961861.html
• http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/amanita_muscaria.htm
• https://www.poison.org/articles/2015-mar/daffodils
• https://traveltips.usatoday.com/coral-reefs-injuries-people-63133.html
• https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/9-dangerous-coral-reef-creatures
• https://brightside.me/wonder-curiosities/10-deadly-things-that-only-pretend-to-be-innocent-398560/
• https://homeguides.sfgate.com/dangers-having-squirrels-yard-51922.html

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Most days, all I have to do is look out my living room window or sit on my front porch to observe all of the biodiversity in the photos above. But I’m not always appreciative of the beauty before me, nor am I always mindful of the Creator of that variety of life. Being truly thankful is one characteristic that needs improving in my life. I need to be more thankful to my God and Creator; I need to be more thankful to my husband; I need to be more thankful to my family; I need to be more thankful to my friends. There isn’t anything in my life (or yours) that could be made worse by being more thankful! Someone once said, “Salt is what ruins the mashed potatoes when it’s left out.”  Maybe we could use the same type of negative definition to say “Gratitude is what ruins life when it is left out.”  Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  

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I’ve never experienced homelessness, true hunger, persecutions for my beliefs, or debilitating illnesses or injuries.  I do thank God for His many blessings, but I feel that I take them for granted far too often. I’ve heard it said that some of the most appreciative people around are those who have little material wealth, and I think I understand how that could be true.  I’ve never lived without the physical comforts and safety to which I’m accustomed. I wasn’t a Jew during the Holocaust. I didn’t live through the Rwandan genocide. I didn’t live through the Great Depression. I’m not living in fear of attacks by chemical weapons in Syria. I have not been a victim of human trafficking. I have not faced a gunman on a trip to my local Walmart, nor have I suffered any number of other horrible circumstances I could mention in this country or others.   I remember when I visited my grandparents as a child, I thought it strange that in their bathroom closet was a bag of soap slivers – you know, when the bar gets so small that it’s hard to use without it falling to pieces. I guess they were saving those soap slivers for hard times. They weren’t going to let anything be wasted. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not asking for hard times to come my way, but I just wonder if I would be more genuinely thankful for my blessings if they did.  So, I guess this post today is really for me, but maybe there are others who have this struggle, too!

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I can only imagine what anyone who lives everyday facing circumstances similar to those previously mentioned would give to have the scenery and the peace and comfort I find from my front porch.  I think I need to read the words in Psalm 100:1-5 every single day to remind me to have the attitude of gratitude – even for (or especially for) the most ordinary of days!

Sometimes I feel that I need to pray for my eyes to be opened, as Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened in 2 Kings 6:17 – opened so that I can truly see and be thankful for my many, many blessings. If you want to read the whole context of Elisha’s prayer, read 2 Kings 6:8-20. Random statement alert! I’m one of those people “lucky” enough to be allergic to poison ivy. Whenever I mow the yard, I usually see poison ivy in different places, and I know I probably run over some with the mower.  Once, while mowing, I tried to figure out how I could be thankful to God for poison ivy! All I could come up with was that if I was itching and scratching from poison ivy, it meant I had been able to be outside and enjoy all the other beauty in God’s creation.  I’ll have to work on being thankful for spiders later, but I can say that I am very thankful that spiders can’t fly! Well, that may be taking thankfulness a little too far, but I think I can be grateful for the lawn that needs mowing – because it means I have a home. Or, be thankful for big piles of laundry – because it means loved ones are near.  My husband has been saying for a few years now that he’s thankful he “gets” to go to work – because it means he has the physical ability and health to do so. I just want to be continuously aware of and thankful for everything that God provides for me and for all of us.  

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Besides having difficulty at times in recognizing my blessings for which to be thankful, I think I’m also guilty of not sacrificing time, effort, and energy to really show my thankfulness for Christ’s death on the cross and my hope of eternal salvation.  And those are the biggest things for which we should thank God each and every day! If you remember my post from a couple of weeks ago, God deserves our best, and, if we are living our best lives for him, I think that is the most powerful way to show our thankfulness to Him.

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Before I close this post, I’d like to share an experience from Sunday, for which I am very grateful. Periodically, my husband is called upon to conduct a worship service at an assisted living center near us. As part of his duties, he presents a short lesson, offers prayers, and leads the residents in a few songs. There are usually 8-12 residents in attendance, and their ages probably average in the upper eighties. I know that a few of them are over 95. As we were preparing to sing, one refused a song book, stating “I can’t see the words.” One declared, “I’ve been doing this for a long time. I know all the words.” One requested a song that had been on his mind. One didn’t want a book because he couldn’t sing anyway. But he said, “I’m a good listener though.” And so we began to sing. As I sang along with everyone, I also listened. I listened with thankfulness, and I heard the most beautiful sound imaginable – the sound of decades of life and experiences, of service to God and thankfulness for His promises – pouring from the depths of their hearts. Did we all sing in tune? No. Did we all sing with the same tempo? No. Did we all sing the same words? No. But in that discord was the most harmonious, glorious sound I’ve ever heard – all because those men and women sang with gladness and thankfulness in their hearts, and I listened with thankfulness in mine.

So, be thankful for your blessings and the beauty of your surroundings on your good days, your ordinary days, and your bad days, and live in a way that shows an attitude of gratitude to your heavenly Father and others around you. Pray for me to be able to do the same!

My heart is heavy as I write today, because my mind is focused on the most recent acts of violence and hatred that have occurred in our country. I dedicate this blog to the victims of those senseless acts and to each of their family members. Please join me in prayer for comfort and healing for the communities of Dayton, El Paso, Gilroy, and Southaven. But I also ask you to pray for the ones who carried out these atrocities and for their families as well. I know that’s not an easy prayer to pray, but I believe it’s necessary to effect change. My mind goes to passages in Romans 12, so I’ll share verses 14-21 with you here.

The picture above looks like it could be a scene from a movie about an alien invasion. And, actually, the insect that left behind that gruesome looking exoskeleton could be considered an alien from an underground world. An adult cicada emerged from that shell, ready to reproduce and then die, after about 5 or 6 weeks. If you’ve been outside in the last few weeks, I’m sure you have heard their mating songs, seen their shed exoskeletons, and maybe even caught a glimpse of one singing in a tree or buzzing through the air. But you may never have seen how one of these lives underground. Cicadas have a pretty remarkable life cycle, which involves a series of changes known as incomplete metamorphosis.

Most insects go through one of two types of metamorphosis: complete or incomplete. (There is a third type that I won’t get into here.) In a general sense, metamorphosis is defined as “a major change that makes someone or something very different.” In the insect world, you’re probably most familiar with complete metamorphosis, like the type that occurs when caterpillars eventually become butterflies or, on a less glamorous scale, when maggots eventually become flies. This type of metamorphosis has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae will molt (shed outer layer) several times in order to grow before finally entering the pupal stage. The larval stages and the adult insects are very different from one another and even eat different types of food. During the pupal stage, like a chrysalis or cocoon, the insect doesn’t eat, because its organs and tissues are being broken down and reorganized into its adult form, complete with wings.

A cicada does not have a larval stage or a pupal stage. Cicadas go through incomplete metamorphosis, which has only three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. A female cicada lays tiny, rice-shaped eggs in a groove that she makes in a tree limb. When the eggs hatch, the tiny cicadas look sort of like white ants, or maybe termites, and they feed on juices from the groove in the limb. When they are ready, the tiny nymphs fall to the ground and dig holes, where they begin to feed on small roots, like grass roots, at first. Then they will eventually feed on the roots of the tree from which they hatched. The underground nymphs are constantly busy tunneling and feeding, not resting as was once thought. After a period of 1 to 17 years, depending on the species, the nymphs will emerge from the ground and climb onto the nearest tree or fence post or structure they can find. Once they shed that final exoskeleton, they are adults with wings! Their wings have to inflate with fluid and their new exoskeletons have to harden before they start mating and complete their short adult lives.

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Adult cicadas spend their days in the trees looking for mates. Most male cicadas are the ones responsible for making the trees sound like they are singing. Males have drum-like organs on their abdomens called tymbals, which are quickly pulled in and out of shape by small muscles. Then the sounds produced are amplified because of the mostly hollow abdomens of the cicadas. Hopefully, all that singing will attract females! Click here to listen to the sounds of cicadas (and a dog barking).

In North America, there are over 190 varieties of cicadas, and there are over 3,000 varieties throughout the world. Cicadas are found on every continent except Antarctica. Some are periodical, which means they have long periods underground, even up to seventeen years. Some are annual, meaning they emerge every year. Others are proto-periodical so small numbers will emerge every year, but certain years will see large numbers emerge. In North America, Magicicada periodical, 17 & 13 year cicadas, should have emerged this year in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In Arkansas, we should see them emerge again in 2024. How will you know if you see one of these? They are somewhat smaller, with dark bodies and gold-laced wings and striking red eyes!

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When I think about the metamorphosis that occurs in cicadas and the rest of the insect world, I can’t help but think about the metamorphosis that Christians undergo as they follow after Christ. Paul talks about this new life in Ephesians 4:17-32 and in Colossians 3:1-17. We are to put off our old selves and transform into our new selves to live different lives, just as the cicada transforms from a flightless nymph into a winged adult. We are to seek the things that are above and put earthly desires aside. We are to put away anger, lies, hatred, and impurity and put on compassion, kindness, humility, forgiveness, and especially love. If you continue reading in Ephesians 5, Paul talks more about walking in love and also about walking as children of light. He says, “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8a) (To read more about the transforming power of light, check out my Bible lesson on a different page of my website.) Just as the cicada leaves the darkness of the underground to enter a sunlit world, so we also leave the darkness of worldly living to walk in the light. If everyone would undergo the true metamorphosis that living for Christ entails, we would not be dealing with such acts of hatred as we have seen in the past few days. And, when the time comes, we will experience the final stage of metamorphosis – the changing from our mortal bodies to our immortal ones. “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

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Sources

• https://www.cicadamania.com/
• https://www.thoughtco.com/types-of-insect-metamorphosis-1968347

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All of the pictures in this post are from a road trip my husband and I took a couple of years ago in September, 2017. Our destination was Glacier National Park in Montana, but we saw the sights in South Dakota and some in Wyoming along the way. On the drive back home, we visited Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Parks. Throughout this trip, I couldn’t help but marvel at the changing landscapes, wildlife, and climate. We experienced temperatures in the upper eighties and a gorgeous display of earth tones in the barren Badlands and then winter-like conditions, at times, in Glacier National Park and Yellowstone, with the stunning contrast of bright snow on the evergreens. In Rocky Mountain National Park, fall colors were prominent and sometimes the mountains appeared to be glowing as the sunlight struck the golden leaves of the aspen trees. I was in constant awe of the power of our God! We saw such an array of diversity in only a very small portion of the world! “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31a) It almost seems a bit of an understatement to say “it was very good,” but God’s good is greater than our good. His good is His best! The beauty and complexity of this world is God’s best, and He gave it to us! “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'” (Genesis 1:26).

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Yes, God gave us His best, and He expects our best in return. He has always expected the best from His people. When He instituted the Passover with the children of Israel, He said the lamb to be sacrificed should be without blemish (Exodus 12:5). Other references to sacrifices without blemish can be found in Leviticus 1:3, 3:1, 6, and 22:19 and in Malachi 1:8, 14. What would it have meant to God if the Israelites had offered the smallest or sickest animals from their herds or flocks? It means nothing when we give up something that wasn’t valuable or that we didn’t want anyway. But how does this apply to us, since we don’t offer animal sacrifices to God today? One definition of the word “sacrifice” is “the act of depriving oneself of something for the sake of attaining some goal or for the sake of someone else.” If we read Romans 12:1-2, I think we can see how “sacrifice” applies to us today. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Our bodies are to be living sacrifices.

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Christ’s apostles knew what it meant to be living sacrifices. When Christ called Peter and Andrew, “immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:20) When He called James and John, “immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” (Matthew 4:22) In 2 Corinthians 11:24-27, we can read Paul’s account of his sufferings as an apostle. These men put Christ first. In Luke 14:26-27, 33, Christ makes some powerful statements. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple………..So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” Christ demands the best of our talents, time, knowledge, and wealth before the world gets its share. He doesn’t want the leftovers. We don’t have to worry if our best isn’t as good as someone else’s best. We are not all equal in the abilities or wealth we possess, but we are expected to do something with what we have and not be ashamed if we think it’s too little. Read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-29. Barbara Bush once said, “Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections; some literally give their blood……but everyone has something to give.” Remember, God knows if it’s our best and He will be pleased with that. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Obviously, we cannot live perfect lives as Christ did, but I think we better be doing the best we can to emulate Him and our heavenly Father.

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God demands our best and He deserves our best. He gave us the magnificent gift of this world that we inhabit. But as truly wonderful as that gift is, it pales in comparison to the greatest and most precious gift of His Son. God let His only Son, His perfect Son, die for us, that we might live eternally. “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” (Hebrews 5:9) If you are a parent, I imagine that your worst fear is to lose a child, no matter the circumstances. We must, then, seem awfully arrogant to God if we say by our actions, “I know you let Jesus die for me, but I just don’t have time to worship you today” or “I’m too tired to read your Word tonight” or “I don’t feel like visiting the hospital today.” We need to show our appreciation to God for the wonderful gifts, the perfect gifts, that He gave us, and we can do that by giving our best back to Him. I’m not implying that we must give up all that we have and suffer hard times to please God, but we need to be willing to put Him first, which may involve sacrificing a few worldly pleasures.

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When my oldest son was around 5 years old, if I asked him what he wanted for breakfast, he would simply smile and say, “Just do your best, Mom.” Whenever he said that, I felt like he meant he wanted homemade biscuits and chocolate gravy, and, to be honest, what I really meant when I asked what he wanted for breakfast was “Do you want a pop-tart or a bowl of cereal?” That was the easy way out when trying to get him and myself ready for school and his brother ready for the sitter and all of us out the door on time, when I am not a morning person and probably didn’t get up as early as I should have. We all cut corners sometimes. We may have to let the housework slide or grab some fast food to go as we rush to an activity, but, if we get too busy for God’s work, then we are too busy. He doesn’t deserve cut corners, and he won’t accept them. Give God your best because He demands it and deserves it. And if we give God our best, He has another wonderful and perfect gift waiting for us – a home with Him in Heaven. If you ask God “What do you want from me?” or “What can I do for you today?” I think His answer is always “Just do your best.” And you can’t respond by saying, “God, have a pop-tart today and I’ll make biscuits tomorrow.”

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Last week, I talked about God’s extraordinary design for the flight of a bumblebee – how it creates tiny hurricanes with its wings! Incredible! This week, I want to focus on honey bees and some other equally incredible facts about them. (Just FYI: All of these spellings – bumble bee and bumblebee and honey bee and honeybee – appear to be acceptable.) It’s difficult to decide which facts about honey bees to mention, because I am fascinated by so many characteristics and habits of these amazing insects. But I’ll try to rein in my enthusiasm, because I don’t have time to write that much anyway (and you don’t have time to read that much).

There are three types of bees in every hive: the queen, worker bees, and drones. The drones are the only males, and their sole responsibility is to mate with the queen. Only about one drone in a thousand gets that opportunity, however (and he dies afterward). Worker bees are infertile females, and they do just what their name implies – work, work, work! Worker bees prepare food, feed the queen, the drones, and the brood, heat and cool the hive, and guard the hive. During the summer, a worker bee may only live about 6-8 weeks, mostly because it wears out its wings flying what would be an equivalent of one and a half times around Earth. And it will only produce about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in that life span. An entire hive, however, can produce from 60-100 pounds of honey in a year.

Whenever worker bees travel to flowers, they collect both nectar and pollen, but they will usually focus on one thing at a time. One of the things that I find most interesting is the way in which the worker bees communicate to other workers in the hive about the location of a particularly desirable patch of flowers. They dance! One dance is called the waggle dance, because the dancing bee waggles back and forth as she moves forward in a straight line. The length of that straight line shows the relative distance of the flower patch from the hive. After dancing a certain distance in a straight line, the worker bee will circle back and repeat the dance. How she communicates direction from the hive is even more fascinating. Bees know which way is up and which way is down inside their hives. When a dancing bee waggles, she waggles a certain angle from straight up. Once the bee is outside the hive, she looks for the position of the sun and flies at that same angle away from the sun. A second type of dance is the circle dance. With this dance, the bee is indicating that the tasty patch of flowers is somewhere close to the hive. The dancing bee simply walks in a circle and then turns around to walk the same circle in the opposite direction. She will do this several times, and, if she happens to waggle as she turns around, it is thought that the length of time she waggles indicates the quality of the flower patch she found. Our God is indeed an awesome God!

Last week, I also mentioned that, not only do I believe in God as our Creator, I believe that the Bible is His inspired Word, that He gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, that Christ rose from the dead and ascended back into Heaven, and that He will return and judgment will be pronounced. But I also left you with a question and a verse to consider. “Is believing enough?” James 2:19 says, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!” I think that verse gives us the answer to that question. Our God requires more than belief. Throughout the history of His people, He has expected obedience, as He still does today. God expected Adam and Eve to obey Him when He said in Genesis 2:16-17, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” God expected the Israelites to keep His commandments. “Now this is the commandment – the statutes and the rules – that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.” (Deuteronomy 6:1-2)

Christ also speaks of obedience. In Matthew 7:21, He said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” And again in verses 24 and 26, He says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock……. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” In John 14:12, Christ says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” He adds in verse 15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Our belief, our faith, requires action. Consider Hebrews 11, known as the hall of fame of faith. All of the examples of faith in this chapter acted or obeyed because of their faith. James tells us in chapter 2 of his letter that faith without works is dead (verses 17 and 26). You really should read James 2:14-26 to get the full context of what James is saying. If someone needs clothes and food and you say to them, “Be warm and be full,” you aren’t doing them any good at all. But don’t misunderstand me and think that I am saying that our works can save us. We are told in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Chapter 2, verses 8-9). Paul and James do not contradict each other. We ARE saved by grace, through faith, as Paul says. You could think of the works of which James speaks as God’s works, not our own. Our faith leads us to obedience of God’s commands, and we cannot boast of ourselves for doing the things God wants us to do. We can never be good enough to deserve God’s gift of His Son, but through our faith and obedience, we can accept His grace.

Obedience involves so many things, and there are so many more verses in both the Old and New Testaments that describe the necessity of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. God’s and Christ’s commandments include love (John 15:12), repentance (Acts 17:30), worship (John 4:23-24), baptism (Acts 2:38), giving (1 Corinthians 16:2), and much, much more! The only way to truly understand obedience is to study God’s word. I urge you to study and read His Word for yourself. As I’ve stated before, don’t believe something just because I wrote it in a blog, and don’t believe something just because a preacher said it from the pulpit. Your eternity depends on it. Your salvation requires more than just belief. Think bee-lief and o-bee-dience!

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Sources

• https://askabiologist.asu.edu/bee-dance
• https://www.beepods.com/101-fun-bee-facts-about-bees-and-beekeeping/
• https://www.abfnet.org/

It’s been a little longer than usual between posts, but, for good and happy reasons, my usual routine was disrupted for a while. After our nation’s birthday, I celebrated my own birthday and my husband was on vacation! But now it’s finally time for a new post, so I hope you enjoy it!

Have you ever watched bumblebees for any length of time? They do seem to just “bumble” around from flower to flower with their bulky, heavy bodies and their dainty wings, which don’t appear as if they could carry those bodies any distance at all. But it doesn’t really matter what we think about the flight of a bumblebee, does it? The bee flies wherever it wants and whenever it wants, with no regard to our thoughts. For many years now, we have said things similar to the quote above, probably because of calculations made by someone in the 1930s, which only considered the surface area of the bee’s wings and the weight of the bee. (Sources vary on who was truly responsible for the idea that bees shouldn’t be able to fly.)

Whoever the real myth propagator was just didn’t consider some important facts about bees – they don’t fly like airplanes and they have flexible wings. At the time, there was also a misconception about how insects in general flapped their wings. It was thought that they flapped their wings up and down, when, in fact, they move them back and forth. Bumblebees don’t defy the laws of physics when they fly, but the physics behind their flight is even more complicated than the physics behind the flight of an airplane. But I’ll try to simplify both!

Basically, a plane needs to overcome the forces of weight and drag in order to fly. A streamlined shape helps reduce drag, and a plane’s engines create thrust, another force, to overcome the drag. A plane can achieve very fast speeds at takeoff, which a bee cannot do, and a plane’s wings have a large enough wingspan that they don’t need to flap. Also, a plane’s wing is designed so that air has to travel faster across the top of the wing, creating a lower air pressure above the wing and allowing for the lift that offsets the weight of the plane. So how does a bumblebee overcome weight and drag? Remember that the bees flap their wings back and forth (not up and down), and they can do so at speeds around 200 flaps per second! They also move their wings in a partial spin, forming pockets of low air pressure. As a result, small eddies, or mini hurricanes, develop above the bees’ wings and give them the lift needed to fly. Super simple, right??!

You may be thinking “Who cares?” right about now. You didn’t need me to expound to you the physics of bumblebee flight in order to believe that bumblebees can fly. Of course you believe that a bumblebee can fly! All you have to do is take a walk outside and observe one buzzing around and flitting from flower to flower or doing a fly by of your head. But do you believe that God is responsible for this amazing feat of flight? I believe that He is! Isn’t it incredible that He designed those clumsy looking bumblebees (and other insects as well) to create mini hurricanes everywhere they go?

One definition of the word “believe” is “to accept, or regard, (something) as true.” It’s easy to believe that a bumblebee can fly, but it’s not as easy for some to believe that God created and designed it to fly. Some do not believe in the existence of God at all. But I believe! I believe that God created this marvelous world and that He created us in His (and the Son’s) image (Genesis 1). I believe that the Bible is God’s inspired word. “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) I believe that God gave His only Son to die for our sins. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all.” (Romans 8:32a) I believe that Christ died and rose from the dead and ascended back into Heaven. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” (Acts 1:9) I believe that Christ will return, judgment will occur, and each will receive his reward. “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11b) “Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew 25:32)

But, of course, whether I believe or not doesn’t change the reality of God’s truth. Just like believing that the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly doesn’t change the fact that it can fly – and fly very well! But whether I believe or not DOES change the reality of my eternity. And is believing enough? I will answer that in another post! For now, I leave you with one final Bible verse and a suggestion to listen to the beautiful lyrics of Alton H. Howard’s hymn “I Believe in Jesus.” “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!” (James 2:19)

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Sources

• https://animalsake.com/bumble-bee-facts
• http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/bumblebee_facts/582/
• http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-bumblebees/
• https://www.livescience.com/33075-how-bees-fly.html
• https://www.businessinsider.com/bees-cant-fly-scientifically-incorrect-2017-12
• http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/08/bumblebee-flight-does-not-violate-the-laws-of-physics/

Independence Day! The Fourth of July! A day for fireworks, backyard cookouts, baseball, and family. A day for celebrating the birth of the United States of America. (NOT ‘Merica – at least never in my mind or out of my mouth.) I remember our bicentennial year and my granddaddy going outside to ring a huge bell 76 times, and I’m sure you have special memories of 4th of July celebrations as well. I’m so thankful for all who were responsible for the conception, development, and birth of this nation. Many lives were given in the creation of this country; many lives have been given to maintain its freedom; many lives continue to be given to protect it and serve it.

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As you celebrate this holiday and the freedoms we enjoy in this land, also celebrate and be thankful for all the men and women who have served and who currently serve in our Armed Forces and as police officers, firefighters, and other types of first responders. As we enjoy the day with family and friends, remember those who don’t get a work-free holiday. They will be doing their jobs – protecting, defending, rescuing, and sacrificing. When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he said in chapter 2, verses 3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” These are the verses that always come to my mind when I think of all the men and women (and their families) who humbly serve us.

Recently, my husband and I watched the movie Only the Brave, which chronicles the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Hotshots are members of elite firefighting teams assigned to wildland fires, usually working in the hottest part of wildfires (hence the name hotshot). I don’t know for sure how accurately actual events were portrayed in the movie, but it is a fact that 19 of these 20 hotshots were killed on June 30, 2013, during the Yarnell Hill Fire near Yarnell, Arizona. At the time, this was the greatest loss of firefighters in the U.S. since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Also recently, June 29, 2019, Luis Alvarez, 53 years old and a former New York City police detective, died after about a three year battle with cancer. He traced this cancer to the three months he spent in the debris of the twin towers after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. He fought for a compensation fund for victims of these attacks almost literally until the day he died. On June 11, 2019, he told a House Judiciary subcommittee, “You all said you would never forget. Well, I’m here to make sure that you don’t.” https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/detective-fought-911-compensation-funding-dies-64036778

I mention the Granite Mountain Hotshots and Luis Alvarez because their stories are fresh on my mind. These are two perfect examples of people living Paul’s words in Philippians 2:3-4. Just two examples. Sacrifices are made daily by our military service members and first responders and other people who just do the right thing at the right time. Let’s not forget them today as we celebrate. Be thankful for the freedoms and security that we would not have without these earthly saviors.

I cannot end this post without mentioning the verses that follow Philippians 2:3-4. Verses 5-11 say, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus became a servant and paid the ultimate price FOR US! He was the PERFECT sacrifice for an imperfect people – the only savior who could rescue the world.

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So, today I am thankful for all of our earthly saviors, those who knowingly put themselves in harm’s way daily so that the rest of us can safely carry on with our normal routines. And I am especially thankful for my heavenly Savior, who gives me freedom from sin and makes it possible to spend eternity one day in a place free from terrorism, natural disasters, accidents, and evilness. You’ve heard it said that “freedom isn’t free,” but it doesn’t cost a thing to be thankful!

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The photo above is definitely not my best deer photo. It is, however, my best one of a deer near water, so I wanted to use it with the verse from the Psalms. Just about any time I see a deer though, even if the deer is not near water, I am reminded of the verse above. It might be more accurate for me to say I am reminded of the song entitled “As the Deer,” written by Martin J. Nystrom and inspired by Psalm 42:1. I’ll not post the lyrics for copyright reasons, but you can click here to listen.

It’s a beautiful song and whenever I sing it, or its lyrics run through my mind, I have to ask myself some serious questions. Do I truly thirst after the Lord? Do I long to worship Him? Do I hunger and thirst after His Word? Do I love Him more than anything? Do I long to see Him? If I’m being truthful with myself, the answer to those questions is sometimes “no.” There are times when worldly cares, troubles, or pleasures get more of my attention than they should, but thinking about that song and asking myself those questions help me to refocus on the most important things. Writing this blog also helps me stay focused on God’s Word. My goals in writing are to honor and glorify God for His creation and to share His Word as I’m reminded of it by observing that creation. A big bonus for me, however, is that I find myself studying His Word much more frequently than I did before, and this has led to a craving for it – a thirst for it! So, even if no one ever reads what I write or benefits from it, I am still benefited by writing. I’m quenching my thirst and feeding my hunger.

The increased studying that I’ve been doing has also increased my desire for and joy in worshiping the Lord, both publicly and privately. But there is one of those difficult questions I mentioned earlier that has always been, and still remains, more difficult than the others. Do I long to see Him? I want to have Paul’s attitude expressed in Philippians 1:21-24. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” Paul longed to be in Heaven, but he knew it was necessary for him to remain and continue to work.  Too many times, I find myself feeling the opposite – I long for more time in this world, but I know one day it will be necessary for me to die (or Christ to return).  One year, my husband and I took both of our sons to a week long church camp. The oldest had been the year before and loved it. The youngest was not wanting to go, but we wanted him to try it at least once.  While we were having lunch together before dropping the two boys off at camp, our youngest son said, “I wish Jesus would come back before we get to camp!” He didn’t, however, want Jesus to return before he finished eating, because he figured it would be a long trip to Heaven and he might get hungry.  Anyway, he didn’t want to go to camp, but he was ready to go to Heaven! I know that I want to go to Heaven, but I want to feel like I can truthfully say, “Lord, I’m ready now! I long for your return.” I guess I’ll just have to keep working on that!

Jesus said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” He also said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” If we long for, yearn for, hunger and thirst for, or crave the right things, we will be satisfied. We will have eternal life. For Jesus also said, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51b)

The next time you see a deer, maybe you will consider the things after which you hunger and thirst. Maybe your soul will thirst after God. Although, if you’re an avid deer hunter or you’ve ever had to pay collision repair costs after a deer smacked into your car, you may have different thoughts on your mind!

The harbingers of spring (at least in my part of the world)! Spring peepers! In February of 2018, I went on a mission one day to actually lay eyes on one of these noise makers. At the time, I didn’t realize just how tiny they are, and I thought I surely wouldn’t have any trouble finding one, judging from the loudness of their chirping. I was amazed at the deafening jingle-bell like chorus of what must have been about a bazillion frogs. Even more amazing to me was the ability of those bazillion frogs to become totally silent as I got close to their location. Not one peep!! But, you know there is always a loser to the “quiet game,” and the loser that day was the little guy in these photos (except for the photos with the peeper in the leaves of a plant). Apparently, he could not contain himself and continued his quest for a mate, even in my presence. It still was not easy to spot him. I just got lucky as I scanned the marshy area with the zoom lens of my camera, and I was thrilled he wasn’t camera shy. I tried to spot another peeper this past spring and catch it in the act of chirping, but to no avail. And there’s no particular reason that I wanted or needed a picture of a peeper. Photographing the peepers just presented a challenge, and these tiny frogs are just another part of God’s creation that make me take notice of His greatness!

Did you know that a peeper can survive even if most of its body freezes during the winter? Peepers produce a substance called glycerol that acts as a sort of antifreeze, preventing damage to the frogs’ cells during the winter hibernation. Their hearts may not pump and they may appear to be dead, but once they wake up and thaw out, they will be back to normal after a short healing period. And that’s when the nightly spring concerts begin (or even mid-day concerts on overcast days).

So why the large balloon on a peeper’s throat? That balloon is actually the frog’s vocal sac, and it’s not just the peepers that have these sacs. To make their sounds, the peepers, and many other types of frogs, close their mouths and nostrils, squeeze air out of their lungs and into the vocal sac, and pass the air over the vocal cords in the process. But don’t think the peepers’ performances are simply for our listening pleasure. The peepers have a much greater purpose for their peeping! (Say that three times fast.) The reason for the racket is reproduction!

After a period of hibernation in the woods, under logs or loose bark on trees, the spring peepers make their way closer to bodies of water to reproduce. The males peep or chirp to call to the females. It takes a lot of energy to make the calls, and a male can usually make about 90 calls during a four hour period. Male peepers join together in a chorus to make a much louder sound, which also creates a competition among themselves. The male with the lowest pitched chirp begins the competition. So how does a female decide which mate to choose? Males who call at a faster rate are likely to be older and larger frogs, so that makes them more attractive as suitors. Once a female has chosen her mate, she nudges him and he hops onto her back, staying there as the pair makes its way to the water for egg laying and fertilization.

Thinking about this tiny frog – how it requires so much energy to create its voice, how it uses that voice for a purpose and, therefore, doesn’t want to waste its energy on useless or continual chirping – makes me think about how we use our own voices. The Bible sure has tons to say about our speech and how we use it. Consider what James 3:3-12 has to say about the tongue. No human being can tame the tongue. From the same mouth will come blessing and cursing and that should not be so. Maybe that’s why James also said in James 1:19 “be quick to hear, slow to speak” and why Solomon said in Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” How do I know the right way to use my words? What should be the purpose of my voice? Maybe taking a look at a few more Bible verses can answer those questions.

THE DON’Ts

• “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.” James 4:11a
• “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” Colossians 3:8
• “Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.” 1 Timothy 5:13
• “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” Colossians 3:9
• “They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.” Titus 1:11
• “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Proverbs 27: 2
• “As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” James 4:16

We should not use our voices for the purposes of speaking evil, slandering others, obscene talking, gossiping, lying, teaching false doctrine, and boasting of ourselves. Let’s look at the flip side now and find out exactly what should be the purpose of our speech.

THE DOs

• “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6
• “Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.” Psalm 35:28
• “And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.” Psalm 71:24
• “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1
• “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16
• “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.'” Psalm 126:2
• “I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” Psalm 86:12
• “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
• “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:16
• “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
• “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13
• “And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:11
• “And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:19-20
• “And there they continued to preach the gospel.” Acts 14:7
• “But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:24
• “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14

Our voices have many purposes, but they all revolve around giving glory to God. With our mouths, we are to praise Him and tell of His righteousness. We are to sing to praise Him and to admonish each other. We are to laugh and shout for joy about the things He has done for us. We are to lift our voices in prayers of praise and thanksgiving and requests for healing. We should use our mouths to confess our faults to one another and to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We are to exhort and encourage each other with our words. We are to teach and preach the gospel of Christ and to boast only in His cross. I think Colossians 3:17 sums up the purpose of our speech (and our entire lives) nicely. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” So use your voice for God’s glory! Peep with a pious purpose and have a righteous reason for your racket!

SOURCES

• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/s/spring-peeper/
• https://www.farmersalmanac.com/facts-about-spring-peepers-24077
• http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2010/rule_kels/reproduction.htm
• http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/spring_peeper_facts/1788/