Remember the Beetle

Recently I was having a conversation with a new friend who was telling me a story about his morning run. 

Ordinarily, this event would not have been story worthy, but my friend is one of those types of people who finds meaning in everything, even the mundane, or the smallest situation. Apparently, along his route he saw a poor beetle overturned onto its back with its legs in the air flaying about trying desperately to get turned the right way up.

A guest post from Adena Lowry. Adena and I were members of a writers group and she was a key player in helping raise funds for the Village of Hope in Zimbabwe.

The Beetle

My friend had pity on the poor insect, not wanting it to be crushed by pedestrians or cyclists, he stopped to turn the beetle back over and flipped him into the grass. As he continued his run, he thought about that bug.

So often, we are like that beetle. We get turned upside down in life and cannot find any way of turning ourselves the right way around. We need the help of someone who can see from a different vantage point to direct us in the way we should go.

Help

Generally, humans have a hard time asking for help. I know I do. I want to be independent, self-reliant, and able to think and act for myself. But with this trait also comes the need for control. Having self-control is a positive characteristic; it is even a gift from the Holy Spirit.

But, being in control can be exhausting, especially about things out of our control. It’s like trying to hold onto all the strings of a couple dozen helium balloons. Eventually, one is going to slip away and float into the sky and all you can do is watch it leave. There is absolutely nothing you can do to get that balloon back. You simply have to let it go.

(Image from 2018 Walk, Run, Ride. Minutes later, all the balloons were lost floating into the sky.)

Controlling

Charles Swindoll, in his book, “The Grace Awakening”, links a controlling personality to one that is more likely to be impatient, invulnerable, and judgmental.  High self-sufficiency can often invite pride. Our greater need for control leads to our inability to accept the downfall of others when they make mistakes. And the less likely we are to let our mistakes be known to others. He states, “capable and frequent givers find it nearly impossible to be grateful and willing receivers”.

And here lies the problem. When we are less likely to accept help, we are less likely to receive grace. Grace that is essential to surrendering our hearts to Christ and willing to have Him change our hearts to be more like His. It reminds me of the time in the Bible when Jesus was preparing to wash the feet of the disciples. They were all flabbergasted to have the Son of God stoop down to wash their feet, especially Peter.

Grateful Humility

Peter protested by saying, “Master, you will never wash my feet!” His pride got in the way of him accepting this beautiful act of grace that Jesus was modeling.  Peter was not a willing receiver, and thus Jesus answers, “Unless I wash you, then you will have no part with me.” (John 13:8) Jesus was essentially illustrating the need to receive from God in order to truly humbly serve the needs of others. Charles Swindoll continues to explain that grace received with grateful humility is able to give with joyful generosity.

When my son was a young teen, I would take him to his piano lessons. On the outside glass door of the building were the words, “Please wipe your feet.” After a few months, we noticed that someone had scratched off the letter Y in “Your”, so the sign now read,  “Please wipe OUR feet.” We laughed at the thought, but I do think it’s what Jesus was trying to show his disciples and what we need to pray more and more these days, “Jesus, please wipe our feet, so that we can receive it with grateful humility and give with joyful generosity to others.”

Help In Time Of Need

Daily I need to remember the beetle. I need to remember to help the person who is all turned around, and just needs some help getting back on track. I need to show more grace to others as I have received much grace. And I need God to wash my feet, and as Peter said, “Not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well!” (John 13:9)

What did the story of the beetle mean to you? Please join the conversation and post a comment below.

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