An Adventure Story...

MOVING IN: Who knew it could be so exciting?
So, as you know, we moved house. My job was to clean out the new kitchen. It sounded like one of those mundane and boring household jobs… but that was before I knew about the massive hordes lurking unseen in the deep, dark recesses of the kitchen.
Somebody told me once, “Every day is a battle.” How true. And sometimes, the battle comes when you least expect it. So we should always be ready. That is the moral of this story.
Anyway, I walked into the kitchen. I started cleaning from the ceiling down… I wiped away the cobwebs in the corners, the wall fan, moved down to the windowsills, the counter tops, and then…. the CUPBOARDS. Oh, my!

Another moral from this story: DO NOT reach your hand into a strange cupboard that you have never reached your hand into before! At least, don’t do it without looking into the cupboard first! As I reached in, thinking to wipe it down, I was basically overwhelmed by a host of cockroaches!
You know how it is in war movies, when the fighting is happening all around, gore and violence are everywhere, and suddenly, the film switches to slow motion? That is what this moment in time was like for me. It was definitely a moment of great carnage and destruction of many cockroach lives.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we are instructed to have our feet “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (6:15) Shoes are a very important piece of our armor, especially if we are about to face battle with cockroaches. After a few brief moments (which seemed like a lifetime), the kitchen was quiet again. But I knew it was only because the multitudes of survivors had scurried back into their lairs.
What I had just gone through was only the first round. I made a few brave attempts to prod them out of their holes with a stick, but the results were not so good. Insect spray did the job. As fumes and billows of smoke filled the kitchen, legions of cockroaches spewed out of thier hiding places, skittering from all corners of the cupboards. It was another slow-motion minute or two, as I stomped with vengeance. And then, quiet. You can call it extermination. PETA might say it was genocide. I like to say that it was a heroic cleansing.

The spiritual truth that I was reminded of though this experience doesn’t really pertain to cockroaches. They are just small and feeble creatures, and even good in their own way. No, we are in a daily battle, not with cockroaches, but against, “the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
“Therefore, put on the FULL armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Eph. 6:11-13)

Three things:
1) Be alert and ready against attack.
2) Wear the armor God has given us (and don’t forget your shoes!).
3) Don’t keep corners of your life hidden from the powerful cleansing of the Holy Spirit, or you might get yourself an infestation! Keep your heart open and clean before God. Don’t shut up or forget about your cupboards!

Of course, the job is not finished. Even this morning, I met another small cockroach hiding out in there. But, the very few that are left are nothing in comparison to the vast army there was before.

And my shoes are ready.