Living in the Wood… or Word
We purchased our first house soon after we were married. We found a lovely rundown shack a few houses from the shores of Lake Erie, and easily the worst house on the block (Ok, it was a bit better than the picture shown). We found rats and mice refused to live in such squalor, however termites thought our shanty was heaven. Soon began my extreme aversion toward these wood munching creatures, and I discovered I would stomp, smash, crush, pulverize, annihilate, and any other action to eliminate their presence from where I live.
Now this hatred and loathing does not come from seeing just a few of this tiny fellows. I encountered an army swarming across the floor in my newly purchase house and up one of the walls. Without any exaggeration, they were so thick I could not see the color of the wall they were climbing. 
I admit: I was cleaning a house vacant for years, and I may have disturbed this ruthless enemy… but this was my house! I was ready to call 911, the army, the news channel, or anyone to help me, but there was no telephone service yet and, believe it or not, we did not have a mobile telephone (I know… this sounds like the dark ages).
I will never understand where they thought they were going. There is a ceiling at the top of the wall and as far as I could tell, nothing really to conquer, fight, eat, or pillage for these marching soldiers. Yet for some reason, I felt compelled to defend my ceiling from these advancing intruders – perhaps to stop them from moving above and dropping on me like little Kamikaze pilots. After all, this was my ceiling and who did they think they were?
I whipped out the only two cans of pesticide in my weapons arsenal and immediately began my assault in a western-style, double-fisted ambush. To my ultimate surprise, this liquid which “kills on contact” seemed to be go-go juice to these little guys and they tripled their speed! Higher they climbed on my newly purchased wall, not dead but at least clearing away from the areas of my attack.
Without any other recourse, I sprayed a double line barrier along the top of wall and stopped their advancing march. I also circled the room, trapping them in a giant oval stretching across the floor and up one wall. The enemy was mine, encircled in a barrier they would not cross.
I do not remember my first response, though it may just have been a small cruel chuckle. Again, the enemy was mine and they were trapped.
This allowed me time to strateger-ize (I love that word!). I was one man against evil battalions of wood-thirsty savages. The pure numbers were against me, the odds in their favor and my newly purchased house balanced precariously in the middle of this battlefield. One wrong move and my house would be eaten… err, well, to forego the dramatics, my newly purchased house would be severely damaged anyway.
What would prevail in the face of such travesty? I searched my memory for war tactics and the cunning maneuvers of past generals and heroes. Quotes came to mind, such as “Don’t shoot till you see the whites of their eyes”, “I shall return”, and “Don’t tread on me” (I liked this one!). Empowered, I realized I had something these timber hungry villains did not have in this fight for life and home – besides being a gazillion times bigger, I was slightly smarter!
In the face of adversity, we are called to be smarter. We find this in the Bible many times where we are instructed to seek after God’s truth to find peace. As we look at James 3:16-18, we find, “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”
In the first verse, envy and selfish ambition will bring disorder and evil into our lives, then we find we have an answer in God’s wisdom where there is peace, consideration, and mercy.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 2:6 that, “…the LORD gives wisdom…” and in Colossians 3:16 we are told to, “Let the Word dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…” In seeking wisdom, we find the Lord gives us wisdom and it is derived from the Word. The Bible is the Word of God given to us for instruction and learning.
James 1:5 also instructs that, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” These verses are clear in how we should ask the Lord for His wisdom and seek it through His Word – or, pray and read the Bible!
Yet in all this, what would be the best defense with those pesky house-gnawing termites waging an assault on my newly purchased home? Again, the Lord provides!
At my disposal, I had a weapon of mass destruction for these little critters. Science and technology provided a long range, yet effective attack against the invading horde. With precision, skill, and years of training doing chores around the house, I had the ultimate, most supreme tactic. No S.A.M. or Scuds for me, I used the S.H.O.P.V.A.C.!
Let me encourage you: Don’t live in a vacuum – seek the Lord’s wisdom in His Word. Otherwise, life sucks.
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Glenn Sasscer
www.glennsasscer.com
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