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Indiana Meal Moths…

By May 7, 2017August 30th, 2022Devotional

Okay, I have had it. We are being being overrun by moths! Yep… Indiana meal moths, to be specific. At first I didn’t think it was a big deal. Really, I didn’t… But it has turned out to be something much more invasive than we thought. And we can’t seem to be able to get rid of them. I called the exterminator and they told me that these small moths love to eat grain or any kind of similar food – think dog food, or bird seed for that matter.

It started to make sense when I recalled that last year I bought a 50# bag of peanuts to feed the birds. I noticed that from time to time I would see small flying things (meal moths, I suppose) moving about in the container of peanuts. I called the store and asked them if this would present a problem and whether the food was any good or not. They assured me the birds would love the treat of the moths and not to worry about it. I didn’t think too much more about it…

During the winter, I would fill the feeders in the front yard and noticed that from time to time there would be small white bugs (grubs) on the inside of the storage containers and I would find them on the floor of the garage near where we enter the house. I figured the sub freezing temperatures would solve the issue, but apparently I was mistaken.

Now, each evening, when I check the garage doors and make sure everything is locked up for the night, I am inundated with flying moths all over the place. Thankfully, they are still in the garage and have not invaded the house – for that I am grateful – but I just can’t figure out where they are coming from. I have thrown out the containers that housed the peanuts and moved everything else to airtight containers. I have even bought new seed for the spring. Yet the moths keep coming – wave after wave of them.

The truth be told, I don’t know where else to look for them. We don’t keep any food out there that is open or would a place for them to live or hide. I have swept out the garage, moved everything and still can’t find the place where they live. So, in the morning, it’s another call to the exterminator to see what they can do to get rid of these for us. It’s driving me nuts.

While I am glad that we don’t have a problem in the house, I am getting a little taste of how invasive and destructive these little creatures can be. And it seems that they only come out a night! The problem reminded me of a Bible verse that I think about from time to time – but tonight it has taken on an entirely new perspective.

Our verse for tonight is from Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” The verse warms us that we are not to be materialistic and spend time acquiring things that can be destroyed in this world. Rather, Matthew encourages us to store up heavenly treasures – the things that last throughout all eternity.

My encouragement this evening is that this verse has taken on new meaning for me – and I hope that it will for you as well. We spend so much time trying to acquire material things and then, all of a sudden, we find out how susceptible we are to things that are beyond our control. My prayer is that we will all take the warnings of the Scripture more seriously. I find that too many times, my eyes glaze over as I read the words on the page; and they just don’t come alive the way that I wish they would. Well, that certainly changed. I guess it is good that every once in a while, we get a dose of reality and something connects us more closely with the Bible – even if that something is a real inconvenience. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

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