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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: CHILL (10/29/15)
Hercules and The Fly

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commended you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go.”

I am sitting on the couch with Hercules next to me. Unfortunately, he isn’t cuddled up and sleeping but rather he is in full blown panic mode because of a fly. Yes, a F…L…Y.

As I swish the fly away I try to reassure him, “Oh Hercules, it’s just a fly – I wish you could just CHILL.” I have actually lost count the times I have said those words to him. Truth be told, Hercules has always had a fear of flies. It doesn’t matter where we are flies seem to navigate towards him and enjoy dive bombing him relentlessly.

I find myself wondering how does a fly in Seattle communicate with a fly in California? Did the first fly from ten years ago hide a secret radar sensory device in Herc’s fur or do they have some kind of secret fly attack code? I have no idea, but there is no denying the terror that floods his furry five-pound body. I wish Hercules could understand he really has nothing to worry about. The fly may be annoying, tenacious and sound quite intimidating – but overall not a threat.

Unfortunately, Herc doesn’t understand and his way of coping is to run and fly into my arms. And there he stays until the threat is gone. It takes a while but he eventually goes from panting, quivering and shaking to calm, chilled and sleeping soundly in my arms where he feels safe. The fly still tries to attack but Hercules doesn’t panic when he is in my arms. I will always protect him even when my arms are getting tired, tingly and numb. All I know is that it melts my heart when Hercules runs to me and jumps into my arms for protection. It never occurs to him to do anything else.

And then I realized – I do the same things at times not with flies but with life’s challenges. Some of these challenges may just be little annoyances but most of the time they are painful, stressful, exhausting, unrelenting and feel unfair. It feels like they follow me no matter where I go and come out of nowhere as if I have an invisible target on my back. Most of the time I just want to scream “leave me alone”, “give me a break” or “are you kidding me?” And then it occurred to me, as long as I keep trusting God I don’t have to worry about life's stuff either. I just need to CHILL. I can take comfort in God’s love and His promises to always be with me. All I need to do is crawl into his arms and trust Him. And the more I thought about that I realized as much as I love my little furry friend it pales in comparison to how much God loves me. I can’t even describe the peace and comfort I feel deep within when I think about how thrilled and happy God is when I jump into His arms and trust Him.

And as much as I would love to keep the annoying flies away from Herc it’s just part of life. I can protect him, love him and even swat the flies but flies are here to stay. I know the flies aren’t dangerous but he doesn’t understand that. And just like the challenges of life I may not always understand why they have to keep following me – I can still trust God and take comfort in knowing I can always run to Him, He is always holding me and His arms never get tired, tingly or numb.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Larry Whittington
11/10/15
God has a way of bringing things into our life to grow us. James 1

Well written piece. This is a reminder for us to yield to his ways for us that we might grow to be what he wants us to be.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
11/13/15
This is brilliant. I love your subtle sense of humor. I've often asked similar questions about flies and birds chatting. My family usually just raises their eyebrows. Although, I love your humor, your message is what really touched me. Oh, I could relate. I often joke if worrying were an Olympic event, I'd take home the gold. Oh, how foolish I can get. I have a startle reflex that would equal Here's. How wonderful to know how high I jump or loud I scream, Jesus is always there with open arms. This is stunning. Congratulations on placing third in your level.