Sometimes on pretty days I like to take my lunch and go to the park. Yesterday was such a day. I sat in my car with the windows down, munching on lunch and enjoying the view out the front windshield. My peaceful gaze at nature was suddenly interrupted by an intruding wasp that flew in the open driver’ side window, then insisted on trying to escape out the front windshield. In the past, such an intrusion by a potentially painful perpetrator would have caused panick and urgent desire to escape from the vehicle. Now that I am more “experienced,” I tried to remain calm and figure a plan of action.
My first reaction was to look around for something to swat it with. Then I thought that might just make it mad, so I looked for somehting to smoosh it with. But I needed sometthing thick enough that the stinger couldn’t exact dying revenge for the doomed wasp. As the wasp kept bumping his head against the windshield, trying what it perceived was the most obviousd route of escape, I spied a small blanket within reach in the back seat. I could smoosh it dead with that but. . .
Then a thought occured to me. I got out of the car, and threw the blanket over the outside of the windshield, blocking the view for the wasp. He promptly flew out the side window. I snatched the blanket off the windshield and got back in the car with a grin on my face. I had outsmarted a wasp, and saved him from destruction in the process.
Now I have no special love for wasps. Best I can tell, they have caused me more pain in life than blessing. But I confess that I don’t know all the waspy ways of God’s creation. What I do know is that in this specific instance, I felt some small tinge of joy in the act of setting a wasp rightly on his way. And if I can do that for a simple minded wasp, perhaps I should trust that God can do that for me.
There are times in my life when, just like that wasp, I am doing my best to go in what appears to be the right direction but I keep bumping my head against an invisible wall. As the difficulties mount, I redouble my efforts and keep trying to do what is right, even while wondering, is this really the right direction? Is the devil trying to discourage me? Or does God want me to go another way? Only recently am I starting to rest in the truth that God really is in control and He loves me too much to let a humble submissive heart go in the wrong direction. He is way smarter than me. And if I can figure out how to redirect a poor little wasp who is desperately trying to go the right direction, surely the God of all creation, knowing my heart, can and will get me redirected and moving in the way I should go.
They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this, so they passed through Mysia and went down to Troas.
Acts 16:6-8 NET