This morning, I was enjoying sitting in my brightly sunlit living room while reading in Hebrews of the New Testament. The author was earnestly writing about the importance of not leaving our faith, but persevering.

Some movement quickly caught my attention to the left of my Bible, and there it was, a tiny ladybug. It had just appeared, likely from our ceiling, as every winter we are the dating and mating spot for these insects. Eventually they die off, but this one seemed determined to make it. It crawled onto my finger, as if to say, HELP ME…! Being the creature lover that I am, I offered to take it outside to freedom from our prison of certain indoor death. As I got up, this ladybug found a last minute ounce of strength, and flew away, going straight back to the high windows, landing on the glass. It was drawn back to what it knew; a warm, light window, with merely a view of the outdoors. The outcome was not the freedom that most bugs enjoy. It chose to return to its place of comfort, accepting its final outcome.

Now this little bug was literally on its last leg. One could metaphorically say it came to me for help, seeking a way out of its imprisonment. In the end, the ladybug succumbed to accepting that what it believed was all there was, and went back to the familiarity of a window. It asked for help, but chose to go back to it’s old place in life, rather than to accept my help for a better life.

It reminded me of a young man we had met at Wendy’s. He was literally on his last leg as he had been homeless for a several months, was broke, and was considering suicide. With our invitation, he chose to accept our lifestyle, our assistance, and even got baptized at our church! He was basically our ‘son’ for 6 weeks. But that all changed when he ran away and went back to his old life that he was comfortable with; homeless, and without rules. Rather than responding to our continued offer to get him on a far better road, he left his faith-filled new life with us to go back to his familiar, easy life of drinking, sex and no authority.

“Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:62

“Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt,”
Acts 7:39

BUT………..here’s where I do a u-turn….hang on!

As I write this, my thought process of what the insect did is changing completely, like 180 degrees! At first, I thought it needed saving from our house. Now, the more I consider what it did, by commenting that the ladybug returned to the warm, bright window, it probably made the best choice by doing so.

Why?

Ladybug was drawn to the light, as we as believers are drawn to the Light. It was basking in the warmth of the sun as we bask in the warmth of the Son. It didn’t really need the freedom I thought it needed, it just wanted the comfort of the window, the safety of a place it had known, and found freedom there when it died. It had considered leaving behind what it knew, but in the end, it made the wise decision to go back to being near the source of the short life it had lived.

The same can be said for us: we have our freedom in the Son, and as long as we remain faithful to Him, focused on Him, and trusting Him, then we will endure to the very end. After all, He is the source of our life!

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
Hebrews 10:35-36

Yes, this blog is somewhat confusing, but so is Hebrews! It is extremely heady but provides hope. It challenges your thinking, your understanding of Old Testament vs. New Testament, and requires you to persevere in studying God’s Word. My realization of how the ladybug’s brief interlude with me had caused such a variety of varying thoughts, of how it led me to believe one thing while it likely meant another, just goes to show that when you are contemplating things of this life in light of Scripture, the Holy Spirit is the KEY to understanding.

It is good to consider something from many angles, that we might gain wisdom from it. Perhaps the Lord will use a situation in your life to give you pause – look at it from every angle, and decipher what you might glean from it or what the Lord might be speaking to you about.

In any case, be sure to persevere in the knowledge that God has you right where He wants you. Trust in that, trust in Him, and the Lord will bless you for it.

The truth is, we will have people, like this bug, come to us for help; some of them honestly asking for it, while others are not sure of exactly what they need. Regardless, we need to be available to offer a helping hand. They may need some encouragement to get them back on the right road toward the Son, or they may need help to leave an old life behind. Either way, consider what your role in someone’s life might be, while recognizing that the Lord has put them near you for a reason.

Food for thought: When is the last time you changed your opinion about something biblically related? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit was involved in this?

Fun facts: Ladybugs are actually beetles. Not all of them are red with black spots: some are orange, and others have stripes rather than spots. They live up to 1 year.

Photo by: Kari Wiseman – The Ladybug comes