Lady Bug Lessons

Ever been “taken to school” by a lady bug?

I have. The wise little creature came to occupy space and time on my desk today,and she taught me a lot. The tiny delicate red visitor with black polka dots, in fact, reminded me by the end of the day of what I want but sometimes lack – focus and perseverance.

See this little lady bug, for the better part of almost 8 hours today I might add, was searching and seeking and working at whatever it was she was trying to accomplish. She was, in a word – diligent.
Ok, add one more word – committed.

She toiled. She was consistent.  All day long she took to task what was before her.

Philippians 3:14 says “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Me? I can become lazy – procrastinate – and then before I know it have never finished what I started. Or even if I do it’s not the result it should have been. But she just kept at it – her eye on whatever goal it was she was after that day.

But it was all in the WAY she approached everything on this day that REALLY got me.

# 1 – I noticed she rested. I would first see her crawling and moving and running and being about her tasks, but then she would simply just stop. For a while too.  And she stayed perfectly still as if awaiting further instructions.

Psalm 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Me?  I can swing totally to the opposite boundary and get so caught up in my busyness I look up and all the hours in the day or week are completely depleted – and so am I. And the way I am doing life is not pleasing my family or most of all my God either. I need to continually stop long enough to truly listen for my instructions from the Lord. If I do this, then the results are two-fold for me according to God’s Word and His promises above - I get the rest that sustains me and my family, and the knowledge and guidance that will help me accomplish what He wants that will truly glorify Him!

# Two – I saw that she never strayed far off the course. The path she took had to change occasionally when something got in the way, but she maintained the set course through it all. When she encountered my coffee cup for instance, she went around part way and then explored it awhile, hanging out on the lid even for a bit. But then she crawled down the other side and continued on in the exact same direction she had been heading to begin with.  She stayed the course and she didn't let an obstacle stop her from the course she was instinctively on.

Psalm 119:1-2 says “You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. 2 You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.”

Me? I can become so distracted, frustrated, and then I can allow that to affect how I approach my goals for the day, or even for a season. And before you know it I’m off course – even giving up on the plan a few times. I can let things that come up out of nowhere that seem in my way defeat me sometimes.

Quite the little lesson for this New Year I think - and from a critter so small and that I could simply have overlooked it.
Focus, persevere, rest, eye on the prize – Lady Bug Lessons 101. 

Our God does indeed work and speak in mysterious ways :)

Joyful on the Journey
Marisa