I noticed a stink bug in the bathroom a few days ago. I was going to take it outside (I never want to kill things that are not where they belong), but forgot to after I finished getting ready for the day. As I was brushing my teeth yesterday, I looked up to see that same stink bug (I am assuming) crawling on the window that doesn't open. I remembered that I had forgotten to take it outside. When I finished rinsing, I reached up clasping him in my hand and went downstairs to let him out the front door.
As I whisked my open hand into the air to release him, I watched as he flew in one direction and zigzagged a few times. Then, he came to a sudden halt. He was frozen in mid air. He got caught in a spider web in the corner of the porch. I just sighed and shut the front door. I was let down that my effort landed him on the spider's menu for the evening.
I thought about how reckless that little stink bug had been. I had done all of that to free him from what would have led to his death, and within seconds, he gets himself in a real death trap. I began to wonder if humans are that different?
Have you ever realized that you are merely moving from one type of prison to another? The scenery may be different, but you just exchange one location of entrapment for something even worse. People tried to get you out of that place they knew you didn't belong, but you hadn't yet learned how to keep yourself from being bound. When they did help free you, you flew into a spider web.
The real work should come from those of us that are entrapped by something, not by those that want us to be free. We have to take responsibility and learn what actions and thoughts caused us to get to this place and then do the work necessary to change what is faulty. We have to learn new ways to fly that are not erratic and only lead to more heartache. We have to take responsibility for letting those people down that tried to help us when we seemed helpless. Their generosity was taken advantage of.
We may have only flown one crazy way all of our lives, but that doesn't mean we can't change. A stink bug can learn to fly like a bee. They know what their job is, don't take detours and bravely do go out into a gigantic world. God has a very specific plan for us, too. If bees can follow instructions, can't we learn to?
As I whisked my open hand into the air to release him, I watched as he flew in one direction and zigzagged a few times. Then, he came to a sudden halt. He was frozen in mid air. He got caught in a spider web in the corner of the porch. I just sighed and shut the front door. I was let down that my effort landed him on the spider's menu for the evening.
I thought about how reckless that little stink bug had been. I had done all of that to free him from what would have led to his death, and within seconds, he gets himself in a real death trap. I began to wonder if humans are that different?
Have you ever realized that you are merely moving from one type of prison to another? The scenery may be different, but you just exchange one location of entrapment for something even worse. People tried to get you out of that place they knew you didn't belong, but you hadn't yet learned how to keep yourself from being bound. When they did help free you, you flew into a spider web.
The real work should come from those of us that are entrapped by something, not by those that want us to be free. We have to take responsibility and learn what actions and thoughts caused us to get to this place and then do the work necessary to change what is faulty. We have to learn new ways to fly that are not erratic and only lead to more heartache. We have to take responsibility for letting those people down that tried to help us when we seemed helpless. Their generosity was taken advantage of.
We may have only flown one crazy way all of our lives, but that doesn't mean we can't change. A stink bug can learn to fly like a bee. They know what their job is, don't take detours and bravely do go out into a gigantic world. God has a very specific plan for us, too. If bees can follow instructions, can't we learn to?
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