There is a fly in my office...
I had a long todo list for this afternoon. I had some "administration" things that I needed to work on and hopefully complete. It was fun stuff like getting ready for our bi-annual planning meeting, a small project I am working on for the next deacons meeting, and looking at some slides to be added to our pre-service slide presentation. If possible I wanted to finish my sermon plans for the rest of the year. It was a very doable list. I had no worries about finishing it. I came back from visiting with my Chairman of Deacons and got my things together and was ready to start. Everything started off just as planned. Then it happened.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a small black blur fly by me. I turned my head and didn't see anything so I returned to my work. This happened several more times. Later I felt like something was crawling on my head. With my lack of hair my head is very sensitive to things, especially sunlight. I quickly rubbed my head but didn't feel anything so I went back to work. I was reading over some of my calendar notes when I finally got a visual of my tormentor. It landed right on my notes and slowly strutted across my papers. It was Mr. Fly. Like everybody else in the world my first reflex was to take my hand and swat at it. Like everybody else in the world I missed. Mr. Fly thought this was some sort of game because we kept replaying this scene over the next hour or so. He would land on my papers and I would swat. He would land on my keyboard and I would swat. He would land on my arm and I would swat. He was much better at this game than I was.
The problem with this game was it kept taking my mind off my work. Every time I swatted and
returned to my work I had to find my place again. I caught myself sitting as still as I could not working waiting for Mr. Fly to find his next landing place. Sometimes I would move my hand as slow as I could to "sneak" up on my foe and then at the last minute BAM. I could hear Mr. Fly laughing as he flew away. I tried to ignore him when he landed on my papers. This must of upset him because he would then move to my hand, arm, head or fly close to my face to get my attention.
I became frustrated because Mr. Fly was slowing my work down. In my mind I was already figuring out what things on my todo list to move to later. I guess Mr. Fly either could feel my frustration or he became bored with our game so he left. As I was sitting still waiting on our next round I saw him fly out the door of my office and out into the halls of the church. I sighed a sigh of relief and returned to my tasks. I soon forgot about Mr. Fly and became buried in my work. I felt like I was making up some ground too. After a while I had to break away from my work for a few moments because the legs and back were getting stiff. I stood up to stretch a few seconds and pop every joint I had. While standing there I couldn't help to wonder where my friend, Mr. Fly, was. I figured he was exploring the rest of the church and maybe even found his way outside.
He must have read my mind. I had just sit back down and was getting comfortable in my seat when I felt a familiar tickling feeling on my arm. Yes, it was Mr. Fly. We started our game all over again. Instead of exploring he must have been resting and coming up with new ways to avoid being smashed. He would land on my notes and I would swat at him. Instead of flying away he would just fly a few inches away to taunt me. We had only played for a few minutes when the game came to abrupt ending. Mr. Fly was doing a flyby near my face. I leaned back and clapped my hands together. I didn't move them for a few seconds as I looked to see where he had landed. I didn't see him anywhere. I slowly opened my hands and there he was laying. Finally, victory was mine. I deserve bacon as my reward. I gave him a proper burial in the trash can wrapped in paper towel, washed my hands and was about to get back to my todo list when I felt God speak to me.
I cleared my desk of my papers and began to type the story of my battle with Mr. Fly here in my blog. My fingers were typing as fast as they could but they still couldn't keep up with my mind. God had given me something to say and I wanted to get to that part as fast as I could. I was reliving our strange battle as I typed away. I couldn't help but to smile because God had used a simple fly to teach me a valuable lesson so that I could share it with those who read my blog.
Here is what God taught me. We expect Satan to attack us with tanks, bombs, fiery arrows and other huge loud weapons. We prepare for those. We are on the lookout for those. We build our defenses for those things. We are ready to do battle against those things because we expect them to come but then Satan sends a fly. A harmless fly that isn't as big as us or as strong as us. It flies right past our defenses and goes to work. It didn't come to attack us but to distract us from out task. It is very effective and used more often than missiles and cannons. We don't see it or even realize what it is doing.
Satan's flies come in the form of aggravating people, slow drivers, TV shows, minor aches and pains, cold/hot sanctuaries, hobbies, friends, and anything else that takes our minds away from God even if it is for just a few minutes/days at a time. When these flies come into our life our focus turns off of God and His will because we are concentrated on the flies. If we kept our minds on God would these flies harm us or tear us apart? No, we wouldn't even know they were there. But when we turn our focus on them Satan wins. Most of these flies are not "evil" things but they become our god because we put them before God and His plans for us. So the next time Satan sends a fly your way, remember its only job is to take your mind off of God. Don't let Satan win.
Parting Thought: When you fall, I will be there to catch you. Signed Your Floor
Out of the corner of my eye I see a small black blur fly by me. I turned my head and didn't see anything so I returned to my work. This happened several more times. Later I felt like something was crawling on my head. With my lack of hair my head is very sensitive to things, especially sunlight. I quickly rubbed my head but didn't feel anything so I went back to work. I was reading over some of my calendar notes when I finally got a visual of my tormentor. It landed right on my notes and slowly strutted across my papers. It was Mr. Fly. Like everybody else in the world my first reflex was to take my hand and swat at it. Like everybody else in the world I missed. Mr. Fly thought this was some sort of game because we kept replaying this scene over the next hour or so. He would land on my papers and I would swat. He would land on my keyboard and I would swat. He would land on my arm and I would swat. He was much better at this game than I was.
The problem with this game was it kept taking my mind off my work. Every time I swatted and
I became frustrated because Mr. Fly was slowing my work down. In my mind I was already figuring out what things on my todo list to move to later. I guess Mr. Fly either could feel my frustration or he became bored with our game so he left. As I was sitting still waiting on our next round I saw him fly out the door of my office and out into the halls of the church. I sighed a sigh of relief and returned to my tasks. I soon forgot about Mr. Fly and became buried in my work. I felt like I was making up some ground too. After a while I had to break away from my work for a few moments because the legs and back were getting stiff. I stood up to stretch a few seconds and pop every joint I had. While standing there I couldn't help to wonder where my friend, Mr. Fly, was. I figured he was exploring the rest of the church and maybe even found his way outside.
He must have read my mind. I had just sit back down and was getting comfortable in my seat when I felt a familiar tickling feeling on my arm. Yes, it was Mr. Fly. We started our game all over again. Instead of exploring he must have been resting and coming up with new ways to avoid being smashed. He would land on my notes and I would swat at him. Instead of flying away he would just fly a few inches away to taunt me. We had only played for a few minutes when the game came to abrupt ending. Mr. Fly was doing a flyby near my face. I leaned back and clapped my hands together. I didn't move them for a few seconds as I looked to see where he had landed. I didn't see him anywhere. I slowly opened my hands and there he was laying. Finally, victory was mine. I deserve bacon as my reward. I gave him a proper burial in the trash can wrapped in paper towel, washed my hands and was about to get back to my todo list when I felt God speak to me.
I cleared my desk of my papers and began to type the story of my battle with Mr. Fly here in my blog. My fingers were typing as fast as they could but they still couldn't keep up with my mind. God had given me something to say and I wanted to get to that part as fast as I could. I was reliving our strange battle as I typed away. I couldn't help but to smile because God had used a simple fly to teach me a valuable lesson so that I could share it with those who read my blog.
Here is what God taught me. We expect Satan to attack us with tanks, bombs, fiery arrows and other huge loud weapons. We prepare for those. We are on the lookout for those. We build our defenses for those things. We are ready to do battle against those things because we expect them to come but then Satan sends a fly. A harmless fly that isn't as big as us or as strong as us. It flies right past our defenses and goes to work. It didn't come to attack us but to distract us from out task. It is very effective and used more often than missiles and cannons. We don't see it or even realize what it is doing.
Satan's flies come in the form of aggravating people, slow drivers, TV shows, minor aches and pains, cold/hot sanctuaries, hobbies, friends, and anything else that takes our minds away from God even if it is for just a few minutes/days at a time. When these flies come into our life our focus turns off of God and His will because we are concentrated on the flies. If we kept our minds on God would these flies harm us or tear us apart? No, we wouldn't even know they were there. But when we turn our focus on them Satan wins. Most of these flies are not "evil" things but they become our god because we put them before God and His plans for us. So the next time Satan sends a fly your way, remember its only job is to take your mind off of God. Don't let Satan win.
Parting Thought: When you fall, I will be there to catch you. Signed Your Floor
WOW. . .my favorite so far. I don't like to read anything more than a few lines, but you kept my attention with this one. . .great analogy! You can let God speak to you any time!
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