Friday, February 09, 2018
The Little Guys
They are small
and inconspicuous yet incredibly destructive.
Their strength lies in their large numbers, their unity, and the fact
that they work behind the scenes and underground. They topple buildings, destroy valuable artifacts
and devastate properties owned by the rich and the poor alike. They have colonies on almost every continent and
seem willing to demolish property, irrespective of the owner’s race, creed or
political persuasion.
Last year, in
the United States these little guys did an estimated five billion dollars worth
of property damage to over 600,000 homes but there were no resulting arrests or
fines. Perhaps some of their
effectiveness is owed to the fact that they work seven days a week, twenty-four
hours a day. In fact, since they usually
operate in subterranean environments, it is very possible that some of them are
destroying the property in which you reside.
We call these little guys “termites.” There
are over forty species of termites in the United States, and over 2,700 species
throughout the world. Termite queens are believed to live 15-25 years and can
lay an egg every fifteen seconds. A typical home may have three to four termite
colonies around it and they can enter your home through a crack no thicker than
a penny. Those ferocious, insatiable
insects that devour homes, fences, trees and businesses can live in colonies
with as many as one million members. It is estimated that there are one
thousand pounds of termites for every one human being on the planet. Worker
termites search for food up to 250 feet from their colony and one colony of
Formosan termites can eat 1,000 pounds of wood each year.. (preceding facts
taken from http://www.termidorhome.com)
Termites
remind me of some other little guys… little devils. I mean attitudes like division, mistrust,
accusation and suspicion. Or little thoughts and voices like those of doubt,
fear, worry and unbelief. They work underground and behind the scenes. They seem small and relatively harmless, but
if left unchecked they will sink homes, businesses, churches, communities and
nations. Often their damage is not evident until a person or institution begins
leaning to one side or crumbling around the edges.
We would do
well to exterminate those little guys before the damage has been done. At the first sign of negativity, gossip or
slander we should douse the situation with prayer, love and truth. When the slightest whimper of doubt or fear arises
we should seek out sources for worship, faith and inspiration. Like a proactive home owner, it would be wise
to protect against these little guys with daily devotions and weekly worship
services, sprinkled with good books and wholesome fellowship.
The good news
is that there are some other little guys that can be just as impacting—only for
the good. Now I am referring to attitudes
such as gratefulness, kindness, optimism and hope. These attitudes prompt people to be kind,
respectful and trustworthy even when others around them are not. God’s love and
forgiveness are the fountainhead of these little guys. If enough people would
let God love them and then let God’s love flow through them into their immediate
environment, the whole world will be changed. Those good little guys could make
all the difference… those good little guys could restore your country, your
home or your very life.
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