The June Bug
It is summer time! This means it is time for sun and warm weather, picnics and bbqs, all sorts of outside activities and… June Bugs! Nothing brings more excitement to our house than one or two June bugs diving at you and even landing on you! This year, there seems to be a surplus of these creatures created by God, at least at the parsonage and they are healthy (big) this year. June bugs are nocturnal, so they come out at night to eat flowers and foliage. I would imagine they are quite pleased with all of the planting we have done around the parsonage (oh the joys of hindsight!)
In case you did not know, they can not harm or bite you. Their spiny legs might freak you out and pinch you or make you uncomfortable, but they can’t harm you. Based upon some peoples reactions to them though, you might think they were the piranha of insects. I never knew that grubs, that fat, white larva creature you find when digging in the soil are the immature versions of the June Bug.
So what does this have to do with church or Jesus or anthying? Not much, but it makes me think about community. Let me explain – in our house when a June bug makes an appearance, my name is called and not in vain! “Dad, PLEASE come get the June bug out of here!” So I walk in, find the bug, pick it up and take it outside and let it go. If they tasted like a donut, I might eat them, but I have not ventured out to taste them.
With all this said, it is good to know that I am needed in the family. That I have gifts that are blessings to others and help to build, protect and provide for my family. I want to remind you that, in the family of God, we all have gifts to be used to bless, protect and provide for those in the family of God (the Church). Paul reminds us in both 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 that we are equipped with unique gifts, but that all gifts are to be used for the building up of the body for the glory of God. We don’t all have the same gifts and that is part of God’s plan. God created each of us with the exceptional abilities to proclaim, share, and reveal who God is to those around us so they might know the God who created them. We don’t have to look or act the same – Praise God! However, God did equip and place in you a gift that is to be used and shared to glorify him and bless others.
How good of a dad would I be or better yet, how loving would I be, if I just ignored the rest of my family when they SCREAMED for my help to remove a June Bug. In the same way, how loving are we being to our God and our sisters and brothers, when we don’t use our gifts? You were blessed with your gifts for a reason, so discover yours and use them to help others know that God hears them and is responding.