the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
I have always found nature fascinating, even frightening at times. Lightening and thunder storms have been able to keep me riveted for their duration. I have sat and stared at tornadoes in the distance from the front porch of my ancestral home in Ohio. But what has kept my attention more than anything else are the critters that populate nature. Not the big ones that big game hunters bag for wall decorations, but the little ones under our feet that collectors obtain for...uh...er...wall decorations. You know, insects.
Many of the people I know are shorter than me while some are about the same size. Still others I know look down on me, literally. However, size disparity is great in the insect world. There are those insects whose length is barely measurable by normal standards while others challenge the typical ruler. The insect that caught my eye was about the size of a badly swollen thumb; BADLY swollen.
His body was armored like a tank. He was a very rich and shiny dark brown in color. But he had a problem. He was lying on his back struggling to get back to his feet. I watched him for several moments as he tried to no avail to right himself. Then it hit me. How long had he been like this? And how did he get this way in the first place? With his size and comparative strength, what knocked him off his pins?
It was probably his own carelessness. He probably lost his footing from a higher perch and fell, rolling onto his back. It had to be. What else has the power to flip this hefty bug? Recently I talked to a person who had been a leader in a local congregation in central Kentucky. He was no longer attending church anywhere. I asked him what had happened and he said, "I guess I've just drifted away from God." He admitted he had gotten lazy in prayer and Bible study and no longer felt God's love.
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38, 39 But we can walk away from it. Being in His love is our choice. Staying in his love is our life. Don't be like the big bug. Watch your spiritual footing and maintain your balance in Christ.
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' Copyright 2010 © Tom Kelley. 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with their complete bio and a link to https://www.studylight.org/ 2) 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
