Josiah Road

Fly Attack

posted by Mike Blackaby 24Nov

I was sitting on my couch reading when something floated past my head. It was a tiny little fruit fly. Had it been a spider or a roach, I may have taken immediate actions, but a harmless little fruit fly? I decided to let him be. Big mistake.

I began to question my demonstration of mercy when a second fly coasted by. However, I knew I had a problem when I lifted the lid on the trash bin and a black cloud rose from its depths! I froze in shock as the entire Von Trap Family of fruit flies scattered into my kitchen! The army of pests descended on my apartment like an Egyptian plague as I dove for cover.

I suddenly had a sickening realization: campus housing was going to inspect my apartment any day. There was no doubt in my mind that “infestation of flies” would not look good on the inspector’s check list, for which there were steep fines for any violation. I had no choice but to go to war!

Armed with a bottle of Windex, I crawled towards the kitchen. The flies swarmed down upon me, only to meet their end at the hand of my trigger-finger. Inch by inch I gained ground into enemy territory. Finally, I reached the trash bin, which the flies defended like The Alamo. Dodging and spraying, the fighting was fierce, neither side giving ground for several minutes. Finally, I ceased fire, allowing the blue mist to clear and reveal a vast graveyard of my former enemy. When the inspector arrived a few days later, he commented on the fresh sent of Windex greeting his nostrils. If you only knew, I thought to myself. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw it. A tiny fly was circling the inspector’s head…TO BE CONTINUED.

It’s amazing how fast a small problem can grow into a big one when it is neglected. In my mind, one small fly did not present a crisis. But that fly soon multiplied into many and before I knew it, I was in over my head.

Does the same thing happen with sin? Losing your temper doesn’t seem like a big deal until it degenerates into full blown anger that tears apart relationships; the occasional lustful thought doesn’t sound so bad until it leads to adultery; little white lies look harmless, until you find yourself caught in a twisted web of deceit. Sin, in its beginning stages, rarely looks like the monster it really is. Indeed, that is why it is so enticing! Would an alcoholic have even taken that first drink had he seen the obsession that would rip his family away?

The time to purge sin is not once it has multiplied and overrun our lives; it is before. Uproot the weeds while they are still new, for tomorrow may be too late.

“But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15