Sunday Afternoon Tea - Fireflies at dusk

There was one evening this week when we had a brief respite from the heat and storms that have been occurring.  I was enjoying the rocking chair on the porch with Mouse sitting next to the rocker and a lovely breeze helping to make the humidity a little more bearable.

I had been resting whenever possible after a few weeks of pushing my energy level to the limit.  However, I was still feeling overly tired and when physical exhaustion sets in... it is far easier for the enemy of our souls and his crowd to assault my thinking with fearful thoughts. 

I had been thinking all week about the changes in our country and the world.  I have studied Bible prophecy for a very long time and in my head, I knew various events were birth pains.  I had no doubt that 9/11 was a huge birth pain.  While there have been more birth pains since then, for instance Hurricane Katrina, most have had little direct affect on my life. 

That all changed when the pandemic started in China and made its' way around the world.  Never, in my wildest imaginations, would I have predicted it would take well over a year for the world to even begin to return to a new normal.  I had come to realize that the world as we once knew it no longer exists.

In this country, it seems like the people in leadership are making decisions that will destroy every freedom we have known since the American Revolution.  If I let my thoughts wander to the ramifications of past political events, the media, decisions made and bills passed... conclusions take me directly to end time events.

I have felt for decades that Jesus is coming again soon and I knew what the Bible said about what the world would be like at His coming. However, as with most things, it isn't until you begin to live in those circumstances that you remotely begin to understand what was predicted. 

I know God does that on purpose, He sheds light one step at a time, as we need light to reach that next step in our journey.  But this past year has been a quantum leap into end times teaching.  So quick, in fact, that even those of us who have been expecting His coming for decades find our theological head spinning.  Yes, fear of an uncertain future is something I expect we all have experienced.  Whether the return of Christ is next year or fifty years from now, the world is changing.

During these seasons of temptation to fear, I find nature a great healer.  Which is one of the reasons I was on the porch at dusk. On this evening, the sun was slowly setting behind the trees of the forest and I could not help but think of the Glory of God that nature shares with us every day if we are watching.  Enjoying the many colors and the glow of the sunset that evening, it was easy to thank Him for creating such beauty.

It was at that time that I noticed a few bugs flying around in the yard.  Not too many moments later, as the sun slipped below the tree line, the bugs seemed to reflect a little light.  Within minutes, the forest (and my front yard) was bathed in darkness and the little bugs became thousands of bright lanterns.  The fireflies has returned in all of their glory.

I heard that familiar still small Voice speaking to me, asking if I noticed how the fireflies were there even when it was daylight but their true beauty wasn't apparent until darkness set in?  I did, actually.  I sensed immediately what He was teaching me there on the porch as my long time (since childhood) fear of the dark was causing me to want to go inside where the artificial light of the lamps would take away the darkness.

No, He wanted me to stay and pet the cat beside me as I watched the ballet of the fireflies.  They were so graceful, so awe inspiring.  There is nothing about their appearance in daylight that would even hint of that kind of beauty that shines when everything gets dark.

This Truth brought a calm that I find when seasonal forms of nature are once again revealed.  Just as the yellow and white daffodils in early spring remind me that winter never lasts forever, even in Narnia... the fireflies were reminding me of childhood summers when the flying twinkle lights appeared again as little fairies on the hot, humid Midwestern summer nights.

There was a reminder in my spirit that His light is like that of the fireflies and that His presence shines brightest when we are going through dark times in our life.  Something I think is a Truth we can all use in this age of sudden changes, an apparent shift towards uncertain times in the world.

I don't know about you but I've been reflecting recently on the suddenness of it all. While 9/11 changed the world, the day-to-day events of most of us didn't change a great deal.  One noticed changes when boarding an airplane, of course.  Entrances of most public buildings now contained electronic devices one had to walk through to prove we did not carry a weapon.  Sigh... little changes that seemed huge at the time.

Our British cousins have lived with such events, if not now at least in recent history.  I've often wondered what it felt like to live through World War I and World War II.  They are well aware of how quickly life can change.  I'm certain throughout Europe, there were women who sat on their porch in the evening reflecting on the changing times.

It may grow darker in the coming year but God reminded me through the fireflies that in such times... His light grows brighter.  While I do not know what the future holds, I can recall times of darkness I've walked through in the past and with that the realization that it often seemed I could hear God more clearly then.  I definitely saw more miracles in my life during the seasons of darkness.

Tomorrow will be no different.  Not for any of us.  No matter what the future holds for us, our children, our grandchildren... He is there already.  As I've written before, He placed us in this time of history so He has already given us everything we need for the present and the future.  

We need to know the Truth that is in His Word so we do not fall for the lies of the enemy.  We need to ask God daily for discernment so we are not taken in by the deception that is in the world today.  We need to get in the habit, if one has not already, of talking to God throughout the day and yes... it is okay not to talk to Him out loud should we be concerned about being committed to the mental health ward at the local hospital.

We need to surround ourselves with the Beauty of nature, good music, lovely books, movies with no defiling themes or scenes, and as much as possible... like-minded brethren and sisteren.  He has promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  Never.  Ever. Forever and ever, Amen.

Image: Firefly.org, Photo by StevenDavidJohnson.com

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