Showdown

 

Coming eye to eye with the dark one I knew this would not be an easy battle. As my world watched, I knew that it would be much easier if I could pass the cup of suffering on, however, that was not my choice. Turning back to our foe and locking eyes, I knew that before the sun rose and the last of the adrenaline faded, there would be gnashing of teeth, death and ultimately only one victor.

The dark hairy one moved left as I found success with my counter. Then we danced right. The evil ones zig to my zag. An impromptu waltz determining a territorial dispute long in the making. As the debris  strewn battleground cluttered the landscape, creating new hiding places and long fought over obstacles, fatigue began to be a factor. Then in a final move of calculated desperation the wretched arachnid zagged left, dropped fifty or so little black bombs, and sprinted to the right.

Bringing down the flexible piece of green plastic in one decisive move, mama spider was obliterated. Turning my attention to the little black hordes, the second generation of death began. They may have begun their journey as little black specks on our white clean tile floor, but an evil instinct had activated them and now they were fleeing in opposite directions searching for sanctuary amid the darkness.

Although the flexible green plastic had been shaped and crafted solely for the purpose of death, it had no effect upon the offspring. I brought the instrument of death down harder only to watch in disbelief as the corruption crawled through the aero-dynamic design in an effort to save themselves. Having no other way to save my own offspring from the ever-increasing infestation I flattened out my hands and systematically destroyed the darkness of an entire family. Victory in death.

 

Little Critters

As the phoenix rises from the ashes, so to does the mosquito from our toilet.

“Help! Help!” said the small desperate child from the bathroom. “I can’t go because it will get me there.” We all live with creatures. They creep, crawl, and slither into our lives. Creatures meet us in battle gear. Some are respected, others tolerated, and even a few may be loved. Regardless of their species, these little critters distract us from the harmony we feel is needed in our own private little sanctuaries. Without doubt they confound us and test us in ways we’re just beginning to understand.

Some critters fight back with poison that digs into our skin refusing to let go for weeks. They use the disguise of color and charm to lure us into thinking they’re not so bad.

Sometimes we marvel at how clever we are when we turn one critter against another. Creating a hierarchy of toleration and perhaps even dependence.

 

Little critters, much like sin, flood into our lives ripping apart the cleanliness and order we attempt to maintain. Occasionally we see what is happening, learn from the situation, and take corrective measures. Take our dog Buddy for example. When that foolish dog is given something to eat he immediately takes it from my hand and begins chewing. Yet when he sees that there is the possibility of more he drops it from his mouth with dissatisfaction. Plenty of food on the ground right at his paws, even show him my empty hands, yet all he can do is whimper and salivate at what is never to be. Certainly don’t want to live my life like Buddy. Now I’m not saying we’re all dogs, but humanity isn’t all that far from this image sometimes.

I’ve lived with little critters all my life but somehow my current home in Kenya seems to be teeming with the little terrors. The boys help me hunt down lizards that make their way in the house. In fact Michael is so keen on this activity he calls it his lizard safari. Ants that bite, beetles that stink, caterpillars that are poisonous, and of course everything in the rat family, just to mention a few. They’re everywhere!

Like an iceberg the critters we see are a mere fraction of the whole. Just imagine all creatures great and small around us that we can’t see. Creeping. Crawling. Hiding. Slithering. And on that note, our doors are open for anyone, especially grandparents, wanting to come and visit.  Just mind the little critters.

Fruit Cakes Go Bananas

“You, who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by.”

Bananas are a big deal at our house. We eat them, catch the flies that love to inhabit them and our home, as well as play games and discover life amid the trees. Momma has also been known to send the boys out to run around the dozen or so trees when they are too squirrelly and just need to release their energy in a more productive manner. The boys and I do what we can to nurture the trees and little sprouts we have in our yard waiting patiently as time passes. In gentleness we cultivate, observe as they mature, and then share the yellow goodness. Most recently the boys have been using the bananas from our trees to make banana bread. They have then passed it out to workers at school, gate guards, and neighbors. Of course they have eaten their fair share finding reward in their labors. As new bananas ripen we moved on to zucchini bread. In generosity I was given untold amounts of the green vegetable and after giving away as much as possible there was still an amount worthy of keeping the peace in a small village. Adding pineapple to the zucchini a fruit cake was created and soon turned out to be a favorite at our house and with our nighttime gate guard.

Currently we find ourselves inundated with passion fruit. While these purple pleasures greatly enhance smoothies and homemade ice cream, we’re receiving way too many to enjoy them all by ourselves. There’s more reward in sharing and being given so much without sharing seems wrong. Almost as soon as new ones ripen they are given away. Neighbors and friends aren’t running the other way when they see us coming with yet another bag of fruity creations. I would have thought they would lock their doors and pretend not to be home after all the sharing of fruit but by all accounts they appear to be joyous. I like to think their smiles are expressions of thankfulness, however, in all honesty I think people are just relieved to get a gift from the boys that isn’t a dirty rock or termite infested stick recently found in the dirt.

Benjamin finds this process of cultivate+ plant+ water+ harvest = give away to be rewarding and sustaining. He often can be seen prancing around doing a banana dance after seeing the fruit received by others. Michael, still in the learning process, lacks a bit of self-control wanting to consume most of them on the spot saving only a few for loved ones. It’s good to be faithful to the family but he seems to have missed out on last year’s VBS message about the fruit of the spirit. While neither boy, including their Papa, can claim perfection on showing all fruity Christian attributes, great efforts and attempts are being made to be passion filled living fruit cakes. Much like being given an abundance of fruit and letting it rot instead of passing it on we don’t really have fruit of the spirit if we keep it all to ourselves. Is the News really Good if we don’t pass it along? We are called to step out and share wholeheartedly the over abundance of our own fruit cultivated relationship.

“Teach your children well.”

The new year has only begun and most of us would like it to be better than the previous year. Intellectually we understand that for change to occur we need to take an active part by beginning with ourselves. And so, as we make every effort to pass out our fruit, professing that love isn’t really love unless it is given away, I can’t help but notice how the boys get more excited every time they give out more fruit. Those lads start bouncing around, visibly full of joy, and truly going bananas.

2015 can be the year of the fruit cakes.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control…” –Galatians 5: 22-23

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Song lyrics taken out of context from Teach your Children Well by Graham Nash