Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Dad, I wish there weren’t any flies.



This is my favorite time of year. Actually, this is the start of my favorite time of year. I just love the cooler weather, the cooler days and nights. My area of the country doesn’t get just freezing cold. And, at this time of year, we're still dealing with flies and mosquitos. But, if it’s not raining, then most evenings I’m out on my back porch staring up at the stars and watching my breath in the air. Ahhh…. I love the Fall and Winter.

This past weekend, I was working on a little home improvement project around the house. My youngest son was helping me, and he was really doing a good job too. It helped make my job much easier that day. As the day went on, It was soon time for lunch. My wife fixed sandwiches and chips for us, and we ate lunch on the back porch. It was a real nice day. As we ate, my son soon realized that he was fanning flies away from his lunch to the point that he was getting pretty frustrated. “Dad, I wish there weren’t any flies around.” He said. I chuckled in agreement, but soon realized that I had a perfect opportunity to remind him of our God. “You know” I said, “Pharaoh, King of Egypt said the same thing.” I gave him a few seconds to let him remember the story which he did and he began recalling the story to me in great detail – with emphasis on the gross, green frogs, the nasty blood in the river, hail, lightning, boils, locust, and more.

I was very proud that he remembered the story. So I continued the story where he left off and made the comment to my son that Pharaoh, King of Egypt did not listen to God. God told Moses to tell Aaron to "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me."'" Exodus 9:1 I explained that Pharaoh was stubborn, and would not listen to Aaron, Moses, or God. Pharaoh would not learn or believe despite the outrageous plagues that God sent his way. Pharaoh started to change his mind when things got real bad, but as soon as each plague was removed, Pharaoh changed his mind back to being the wicked ruler he was – time and time again. Exodus 8:15

I told my son that whenever we see flies bugging us, we need to remember this story, and remember how God used His creation to help teach us a lesson. God said, "I will multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt... and will use my powerful hand against Egypt. When I judge them with mighty acts, I will bring my people Israel out like an army on the march. Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." Exodus 7:2-5
Am I Listening To What God Is Saying In His Word?

1 comment:

  1. Wow! What a sharp young man, and what a great recollection of the Plagues. You are making an amazing impact on your family. Thank you for sharing this story.

    ReplyDelete