Annoying, buzzing, nasty pests. They make our horses stomp, our cows miserable, ruin our food outside, and drive us completely crazy when they enter our houses. I’ve never had any positive thoughts about flies because they just seem to ruin anything when you’re outdoors. It is one of those things that I find it hard to be thankful at all times and in every situation…but today I was mowing the grass and a fly landed on my leg, and for some strange reason I had memories start flooding my mind about my grandmother. Not sure why, she wasn’t annoying by any stretch of the imagination. She was a woman who I know loved me, and taught me a lot of things. I wonder if I thought of her because she always called it a “fly flap” instead of a fly swatter, or it could have been the long, hot summers we spent sitting on her and my grandaddy’s front porch shucking corn, breaking beans, shelling peas, or eating watermelon…all while swatting at the flies that would always be swarming us. No matter, the memories that flooded my mind today were good ones. Good times that I will always remember, although at the time I didn’t appreciate some of the things that my grandparents were trying to teach this hard-headed kid. Isn’t it strange that something we usually find so insignificant (and annoying), and I am quite certain are never thankful for, can be so significant that it evokes good memories that left me smiling as I swatted that fly off my leg. There are so many small things in our world that we don’t even think about and are not thankful for, but are things that God created to keep this old world running. For example, there are some species of flies, and other insects, that their only purpose in this life is to hatch so that fish like trout will have something to eat. Even the flies that annoy us when we are outdoors, have their purpose in this world. If God put flies here for a reason, how much more do we have a purpose! We are God’s chosen, created in His image. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” Like an artist soaking in the presence of their priceless piece of art, so does God look at us. His art work…His masterpiece. We can spend our time trying, but until we relish in Him and accept who we are in Him and the immeasurable amount of love that He has for us can we truly begin to find our purpose. Psalms 104:31 “May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all He has made!” He loves us, takes delight in us, and has a unique purpose for all of us. Just like God puts a fly here that seems so insignificant, it is significant because God put it here. We may feel insignificant at times, lacking in faith and the uncertainty of what is to come. Feeling useless and empty, we cannot find the reasons we are here. But God put us here, and that makes us all significant. This should motivate us to remember who we are and what we were created to be. Today as that fly landed on my leg, it had purpose…God used that fly to spark memories of all those years on the farm and in the yard—swatting at flies—hot and even sometimes miserable, but reminding me of the good times that I had in my childhood. Good times that I have often forgotten about because the bad memories always seem to overtake me. Those good memories that I need to drive me even deeper to make a difference…the remembrance of the love that was instilled in me so long ago. A love that God put in to my grandparents and they poured in to me. And as much as my grandparents loved me, my heavenly Father loves me far more. Not sure why God chose a fly landing on my leg to give me a blessing. I guess because He wanted me to realize that all things in His creation are significant, even when they seem so insignificant. “O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.” Psalms 104:24
