Oh Be Careful Little Eyes HOW You See!

Oh Be Careful Little Eyes HOW You See

“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.”  Numbers 33:55

 Have you ever noticed the kind of things that get noticed?  They tend to have one element in common:  their size.  For example, did you know that the largest pumpkin ever grown weighed in at 2,058 pounds?  Or, did you know the largest monster truck, known as Bigfoot, stands a whopping 15 feet tall, as its body is perched upon tires that are 10 feet high?  Or what about the largest home, or should I say house, in the United States:  the Biltmore.  It boasts of 135,280 square feet of “living space”.  (That’s right…living space.  The garages, attics, and verandas are not included in this figure.)  Then, there’s Mr. Ronnie Coleman.  He’s the biggest body builder in the world.  He holds eight Mr. Olympia titles and, even though his legs look a lot like those of a dissected frog, he is well-known for his sculpted physique.  And, last but not least in our examination of things humungous, how would you like to know the highest paid salary?  If you thought it was $377,996,536…you were wrong.  It is actually $377,996,537!  The one to whom such bounty falls is none other than Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.

Like I said, big things get noticed.  But sometimes, they don’t.  Sometimes the big things lurk behind or beside other things that are similar to them in size and so their identity goes unnoticed…and unchecked.  That’s what happened in our garden spot.  I was watering some pepper plants (basically giving them hose to root resuscitation) when I spotted some weeds.  I reached down to pluck them out and came across the stem of something growing beside the pepper plant.  Its stem was so large that I hesitated to pull it.  Surely it wasn’t a weed…it was too big to be a weed.  (Oh the foolishness of innocent assumptions, not to mention the veiled vanity; did I really think it was a stretch to find a large weed…no, a record setting weed…in our garden?  Really?)  At any rate, I decided to follow the stalk of this giant plant up to its leaves to that I could determine if it was, in fact, a weed or some newly developed hybrid pepper plant.  After passing a boy named Jack and a traumatized goose, I came upon the leaves and discovered, to my dismay, that the plant was indeed a weed.  And then, perhaps because of the altitude, a great thought hit me:  size matters.  Not always; not in every situation.  Not when it comes to pumpkins, or trucks, or houses, or muscles, or salaries; but when it comes to things hiding out where they don’t belong, then yes, size matters.

As I pulled the large weed out of the garden, I realized the reason it had been overlooked before was due to its placement beside the pepper plant.  Their stems were so close together that the weed went undetected and, therefore, was allowed to grow, and grow, and (did I mention it was large?) grow.  Once the growing had occurred, the very nature of its girth made me question whether or not it was even a weed.  How unbelievably depictive this is of our world today.  We live within gardens of truth; we sometimes think truth is out of season, but it is still there because it is embodied in God’s word, which will not return void (Is. 55:11).  But also growing in our gardens are the weeds of deception, and all too often they are sidled up against the stalks of truth.  If we aren’t careful, they’ll become large enough for us to overlook the tell-tale signs written upon their leaves and their fruit and we’ll think that, since they are so big…so prominent…so intellectual…so authoritative…they must be truthful.  We’ll mistake the weed for a plant and we’ll withdraw our hand from plucking it out of the soil.  And it will grow, and grow, and grow.  And soon we won’t be able to distinguish it from the plant it once hid beside.  In fact, if we’re not careful, we might even pull up the plant in order to give the weed more room to grow.

Does this sound too fictional; too “Once upon a time-ish”?  Well, let’s just see if we can’t identify the evidence of such weeds within our gardens.  Let’s start with the weed disguising itself as courage.  Courage is defined as the mental or moral strength used to overcome trials, fears, and dangers.  Since 1993, the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage has been given to individuals who have faced and overcome great difficulties.  In 2009, Nelson Mandella received this award; in 2012 Pat Summitt was recognized; in 2015 Caitlyn Jenner was selected.  Do you see the growth of a weed and, perhaps, its rise above the plant it hid behind?

Now let’s examine the weed of plurality and neutrality.  How about the weed that stated all things would be equal for everyone if nothing was protected for anyone? (I know this sounds contradictory; it is, which is kind of the point.)  This one hid beside the plant that brought religious freedom and bore fruit in the form of prayer in school, at ballgames, and at graduation ceremonies.  And what about simply displaying the Ten Commandments on public grounds?  Once again the weed crept up and attached itself to the true plant that it might disguise its truly deceitful nature.  And the weeds grew, and grew, and grew.  And now, which stands taller, the weeds or the plants?  Which ones have become the plants and which have been mislabeled as weeds?

Here’s another one (oh, but we live in a weedy garden!).  How about the weeds that have the thickest stalks because they have grown to such heights that they now hold the labeling gun and place their own identity upon the things growing in the garden?  These weeds kept themselves so well hidden that they were able to scale the heights of the plants around them so that their leaves emerged above their true counterparts and were undistinguishable to those below until their fruit started to fall.  And when it did, it brought about the “right” to abort a child and the “wrong” to biblically define marriage.  I offer up the weed of a worldly judicial system.

Does that sound harsh or honest?  Do you too see a parallel between the proximity of weeds to plants and the world’s acceptance of lies hiding behind truth?  Oh be careful little eyes how you see.  It’s time for us to take a closer look at what is growing around us, perhaps even beside us, and at what we are mistaking for truth.  Let’s not be fooled by size; the size of something does not estimate its value nor does it establish its validity.  There are small weeds that need to be pulled up and there are large, branchy, shady growths that appear to be plants, perhaps even hide behind plants, but they too are weeds, and they too need to be uprooted.  May we all become expert gardeners and not only rightly divide the word of truth, but also rightly divide the weeds from the plants, and then have the wisdom and courage to pull up those weeds!

 

Live Streaming

Live Streaming

“For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it.”                  Job 33:14

 Have you ever listened to a stream?  If so, you know that it can speak in many tones.  It may be soft and hushed, loud and boisterous, or almost imperceptible as it moves along its course.  As I was sitting beside our creek the other day, I listened to the sounds of the water and thought of all the different voices I had heard from it over the years.  There have been times when I could hear its movement from the back deck, more than 100 feet away; other times I have had to crouch beside a rocky curve in order to hear it speak; and there have been times when I didn’t hear it at all, but as I looked upon its ripples, I knew it was still on course…still moving…still communicating; even though undetectable to my ears, it was evident to my eyes.

 I don’t think it’s a coincidence that water and communication share some of the same vocabulary terms.  After all, both involve the movement of things from a place of origin to a point of destination and, in so doing, follow a predetermined course.  Both rely upon waves and currents to move from place to place and, thanks to the internet, we can now add “live streaming” to the list of shared terminologies.  Unfortunately, as our accessibility to speedy communication has increased, so too has our expectation of a speedy response.  And, as we have become accustomed to rapid response rates from others, so too have we come to expect them…even demand them…from God.  We want to send, and receive, with the fluidity of water, but we forget that, sometimes, messages flow through the wait as much as through the waves.

In Isaiah 30:18, the prophet writes, “Therefore, the LORD will wait for you, that He may gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.  For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”  When we examine this text, we learn there is purpose in the wait.  In fact, there is grace and mercy in the wait!  God, the Creator of time, could answer us before we even form a question; could send the provisions before we even make the request; could live stream His response even as our knees are bending and our heads are bowing.  He could, but He doesn’t.  He doesn’t, because He’s gracious…because while we want to avoid the silence, He wants us to enter into it…and to listen…and to hear…and to wait.  It’s the opposite of what we think communication is.  For us, communication has a short shelf-life; it is sending and receiving, speaking and hearing, writing and reading, and, perhaps, ebbing and flowing…but only if it’s done quickly; there’s no time for the Lazy River Ride…we want the Tsunami Twist!  But in God’s communication with us, He invites us to sit along the bank and to listen to the language of the stream.

Sometimes His voice is quiet, and we have to lean in to hear…so close that His breath brushes our cheek as “our ears hear a voice behind us saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21).  Other times, His voice is clear and distinct as when He says, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me.”  (John 10:27).  And then there are the times we thought we heard…it seemed like there was something that just passed by our receptors…but we didn’t quite grasp it.  “For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it.”  (Job 33:14).  So many nuances to His voice and to His purposes and plans not only in the response but also in the timing of the response.  Just like the water in the creek, God’s messages to us move at their own pace and with their own level of sound, but they always move, they always flow.

I think David saw this connection between moving water and the living, speaking Word too.   In Psalm 1, he refers to man’s need to be planted by streams of water; in Psalm 23, he walks beside still waters; in Psalm 42, he speaks of having a great thirst for the water; and in Psalm 46, David records that the streams not only flow from God but to God.  There is something about the characteristics of water that draw our minds to the nature of the One who created it.  It may be gentle and refreshing, powerful and foreboding, unfathomable and awesome, but it is life-giving and life-sustaining; we cannot live, much less grow, without it.  Such is our need for God; such is the necessity of hearing from Him.

Sometimes we want our communication with God to resemble our communication with others; we want to quickly give and even more speedily receive.  But we need to remember that God has much to tell us while we seem to be “on hold”.  It is during these silences that He takes us back to what He has already told us, to what we know to be true, to the assurances of His word that never, ever change.  While we await new messages, He invites us to replay the old ones; while we want to listen with our ears, He desires that we listen with our hearts, to never misinterpret the silence as indifference…to know that…at the very minimum, not only have we been acknowledged…we have been heard because God’s thoughts are always on us.

“How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them,
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.  When I am awake, 
I am still with You.”                    -Psalm 139:17-18

I don’t go to the creek as often as I’d like and I don’t listen to God as intently as I should.  I wish I could say otherwise; I wish that by writing what I know to be true, it would…by decree…happen, but that isn’t how things work.  I cannot drink one day and expect to be nourished from that point on.  I must go daily to the waters that flow from God; I must come with my empty cup that it may be filled, and I must learn to listen not only with my ears, but also with my heart and with my eyes.  I must remember that sometimes the waters roar, sometimes they gently lap, and sometimes they flow silently, but they always move, they always proceed, they always follow their course.  Live streaming?  It can happen, but even when it doesn’t, the abundant waters always flow…the communication never ceases.

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Whethering Winds

Whethering Winds

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!   And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!                  -Psalm 139:23-24

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.            -Isaiah 55:8

 I enjoy yard work.  I do.  Really, I do.  (“I said and said and said these words, I said them, but I lied them.”  Excerpt from Dr. Seuss’ What Was I Scared Of?)  No, really…I do.  It’s just that when “extra” work is added to the already lengthy process, I enjoy it a little bit less.  For example, last week we had a bit of a storm pass through and, when it had gone, our yard looked like (I presume) the aftermath of a beaver’s bachelor party.  (Don’t overthink this…just let it skim the surface of your mind like a skipping pebble; if you ponder it, it’s rocklike quality will emerge and it will sink like…well, like a rock.)  Before I could even mow the yard, I had to uncover the yard.  Two hours and three Ranger loads later, I was finally able to begin my yard work.  On this day, I cannot say, with even a smidgen of honesty, that I enjoyed doing yard work.  I did, however, learn a “lesson from the leaves”.  (Isn’t that just like God?  Start fussing about something and He decides it’s time for another lesson.  When will I ever learn?  Then again, may I never stop being tested…only being testy!)

As I picked up branch after branch and leaf bundle after leaf bundle, I noticed that what I was collecting was a combination of old growth and new growth.  While the winds swept out the dead debris from the trees, a good thing, it had also cleared out some healthy-looking leaves as well.  In fact, there were as many green leaves in my piles as brown leaves.  And so the pondering began…what if leaves on trees were like thoughts in our heads?  What if the winds that shook the trees were symbolic of the gales that jar our minds?  Then, the picture that emerged from the piles before me was that we all have heads filled with old ideas (brown leaves) and new ideas (green leaves).  And, in keeping with the “piles of evidence”, sometimes we need to have both the old and the new ways of thinking shook up and, in some cases, discarded from our minds.  As I continued to rake, I realized I was gathering up more than just fallen leaves; I was also gathering up old traditions, new assumptions, and emergent philosophies.

There is a saying, “Sow a thought, reap an act.  Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character.  Sow a character, reap a destiny.”  Ideas and thoughts have consequences.  They truly are seeds that are designed to germinate.  Some are desired and produce good fruit and some are detestable and produce bad fruit, but we should not be deceived…both bear fruit!  Therefore, both need to be shaken up from time to time to make sure only those that promote wanted growth remain.  God’s word reminds us of the importance of guarding our minds; Romans 12:1 states, “And be not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” and 2 Corinthians 10:5 reminds us to, “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,”, and again in Colossians 3:2, we’re told to set our mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”  These are but a few of the verses that address our manner of thinking, so we cannot deny the importance of thoughts…both of their root and of their fruit.

The importance of one’s thoughts is not a new realization; it has been known, and honed, for centuries.  As far back as the 5th century B.C., the Spartans trained their boys to become soldiers by taking them out of the home at the age of seven.  The formation of “Spartan thinking” began by removing the influences of the home and replacing them with the influences of the state.  This method of “formative thinking” was used in the 1940’s to train German youth to place the value of their country over the value of their countrymen.  Similarly, Russian and Italian youth were taught that God did not exist under the leadership of Lenin and Mussolini respectively.  By removing any belief in a Creator, the leaders removed any thoughts of one being created in God’s image; the value of man was erased and the worth of the state was erected.  And the practice continues.  Dr. James Dobson wrote this in his book Children at Risk:  The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Our Kids:

Nothing short of a great Civil War of Values rages today throughout North America.  Two sides with vastly differing and incompatible world-views are locked in a bitter conflict that permeates every level of society…Instead of fighting for territory or military conquest, however, the struggle now is for the hearts and minds of the people.  It is a war over ideas.”

How do you change a destiny, a character, a habit, or an act?  Change a thought.  How do you change a generation?  Change the ideologies of instruction.  How do you change a country?  Change the philosophies of their youth.  Abraham Lincoln revealed this directional thinking when he said, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.”  Yes, the importance of thoughts has long been known, so it should not surprise us when God decides to shake up our thinking, to allow whethering winds to blow through our minds so that they might be cleared of the debris which, left to develop or dangle, could strip us of our character and/or lead us into captivity.

What are these whethering winds?  They are the gusts that stir up our thinking and cause us to ask whether or not we should hold fast to an idea.  They may begin as pleasant breezes, but eventually they will attain a gale force that cannot be stifled. When this happens, thoughts will be shaken up; some will be loosed and some will be left as the whethering process begins.  First to tumble are the old traditions, those thoughts we accepted whether they fit or not.  These could be our ideas about religious beliefs, political affiliations, values, or prejudices.  Often times we accept hand-me-down ideas as easily as we do hand-me-down clothes.  We look to those whom we admire and assume that their way of thinking must be right, so we adopt their thoughts as our own.  This might seem harmless, but ideas have consequences so we are responsible for each one we accept as our own.  It is up to us to test each thought to see if it will bear the right kind of fruit.  “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  (Philippians 4:8)

Not only are old ways of thinking shaken up, but new ways are as well.  Into our collection of thoughts we may be apt to add hearsays and assumptions.  Again, we are prone to let our eyes and our emotions shape our intellect; we become the receiver rather than the retriever of thoughts.  We are wooed by charismatic preachers and motivational speakers; we are swayed by best-selling authors and multi-degreed professors; we are inspired by polished politicians and refurbished entertainers.  With hardly any disapproval, and little to no discernment, their way of thinking becomes our way of thinking…whether it’s accurate or not.  “And his delight shall be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears.”  (Isaiah 11:3)

Finally, there are the ever emerging philosophies of our day that need to succumb to the winds of truth.  Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun.  What many hail as new ideas are really old ones redressed and reinstated.   They may not all be unmerited, but none of them should be unchecked.  Just as the Bereans searched the Scriptures and tested the validity of Paul’s preaching, so we are to do the same with the messages and ideologies we hear today.  “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”  (Acts 17:11)

 Brown leaves, green leaves; old thoughts, new thoughts.  All are subject to be tossed, taxed, and torn.  Those that hold fast will mature and eventually bear fruit; those that are not properly anchored will be discarded by the whethering winds.  How blessed we are to have God’s word purposefully blowing through our minds, cutting away unhealthy growth.  “For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword; piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  (Hebrews 4:12)   May we ever be grateful for the winds of mercy and for the piles of thoughts, both old and new, that are left in their wake. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.”  (Isaiah 26:3)

Here Comes the Reign!

Here Comes the Reign!

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”       –Acts 1:11

                As I write this, I am waiting for the rain to pass so I can return to what I was formerly doing…mowing the lawn.  Of my list of things to complete today, mowing the yard is at the top.  The grass is in desperate need of a length adjustment and I knew my time could be, might be, hampered by the forecast of rain.  As I mowed, the clouds built and I found myself keeping one eye on the lawn and the other on the sky.  The thought crossed my mind that, perhaps, it was silly to even begin something that I might not be able to finish.  But, while it looked like the rain was imminent, it wasn’t here yet, so I figured I might as well work until it did arrive. As the appearance of rain seemed more and more likely, I found myself mentally dividing the lawn up into sections in accordance to need; some parts would be easier to mow later if the rain did come where as some parts would become more difficult.  I went after the thickest grass first, hoping to get those parts finished…just in case.

As I continued with my mowing madness, and mentally singing songs from last week’s VBS (Vacation Bible School), I began to see a similarity between the last day’s lesson and my current approach to yard work.  On Friday, we were reminded to keep watching for Christ’s return; we went over John’s vision of Heaven as recorded in Revelation and were encouraged to live in light of Jesus’ second coming.  As I reflected on my current approach to lawn mowing, God reminded me that I needed to apply this same attitude to my daily living.  How quickly I dove into the task of yard work when I thought my time was limited.  Shouldn’t I have this same outlook with my desire to witness?  Shouldn’t I “be about my Father’s business’’ knowing that His return could be at any moment?  I looked to the sky wondering when the rain would come; isn’t there another reign that is even more imminent and important?  I started to see the parallels between the two, and I was saddened to learn that I am far more purpose-driven in my approach to yard work than I am in my attitude toward kingdom work.

For centuries, believers have been waiting for Christ’s return.  We have Jesus’ words telling us that He has gone to prepare a place for us and that, one day…in the twinkling of an eye…He will return (I Cor. 15:52).  No sooner than Jesus had left this earth, we hear the disciples proclaiming His impending return.  Peter preached of it, John persevered for it, and Paul pined for it.  Today, almost 2,000 years later, we are still waiting for the forecasted “reign”.  We do not know when Christ will return but we do know He is coming and, when He does, it will be unexpectedly.  Therefore, we are always to be ready; we are to keep one eye on the sky while still keeping both hands on the plow.  As time has passed, there has been a tendency, just as there was in the early church, to think we have more time than we truly do.  The more appropriate, and accurate, view we should have is that with the passing of time we now have less time in which to prepare for the “reign”.  Shouldn’t we be even more diligent in our duty to share the gospel with others?  Shouldn’t we, shouldn’t I, be looking around and dividing my field of ministry into sections based upon need so that I can be certain to reach all the areas entrusted to my care?  There is the section of family, those who are literally the closest to me.  Then, there are my neighbors and my colleagues.  Another section would be those who have not heard God’s word, those in remote areas around the world…or around the corner.  When Jesus gave His final marching orders to the disciples, He spoke these words, “And you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” (Acts 1:8b).  The same mandate Jesus gave to His disciples He has also given to us.  This directive was passed on through Paul to Timothy as he was instructed to build up faithful followers who would “teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).  And so, today, we are given the same assignment.

As I stated earlier, I have come inside to await the passing of the rain.  The funny thing is how God stopped my mowing and seared this lesson in one fell swoop.  Since I was determined to mow until I knew the threat of rain was real, I didn’t stop when I felt the first drop.  I kept going because one drop does not a shower make.  One drop led to two drops; two drops quickly became twenty drops, and by the time I realized it was really going to rain, I had no time to make it any further than to the edge of the yard and to park under some trees.  It didn’t just rain, it poured; the sky bottomed out and there was nowhere to go that the rain couldn’t reach.  How fitting!  I had thought the rain would occur gradually, giving me plenty of time to go park the mower.  My presumption crashed into God’s providence, and the episode left me ditched, drenched, and dumbfounded.  I couldn’t help but laugh as God illustrated the lesson He had presently brought to my mind!  How ironic it was that I should think I had more time than I actually did; to think that I could keep at it until I saw the evidence of rain and then, and only then, move out of harm’s way and seek shelter.  Doesn’t God’s word tell us that His return will be as quick as lightening? (Matt. 24:27)  Just as suddenly as this rain began, so too will His reign begin.  It will be quick and powerful; shelter will be in Him alone, there will be no other hiding place.  And making a run for it?  Well, that will not be an option!  Forget the “I’ll get ready when the first drop falls.”  That mode of thinking will be futile and foolish.

I thought the lawn was the only thing that needed an adjustment today.  God determined that I too needed an adjustment.  He used the onset of a rain shower to remind me that I needed to look to the skies to gauge more than just the amount of time I might have to mow; I also needed to make the most of the time I had to sow.  I have learned that I operate under a ‘more to less’ ratio; I accomplish more work when I realize I have less time.  While this can be an effective task management tool, it should be an even greater witnessing tool.  As I await Christ’s return, each passing day draws me closer to that event; my time is ebbing so my telling should be flowing.  The reign is coming, will you too prepare for it?

The Song of the Cicada Christian

The Song of the Cicada Christian

“Awake, my glory!  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn, I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.”                                                           -Psalm 57:8-9

 If you live in the South, or, according to the Magicicada Brood Chart, anywhere in the Mid-West, Central Plains, or along the East Coast, you are familiar with the recent hatching of the cicadas.  If you are fortunate enough to live in the Mississippi River Valley, however, you are doubly blessed because there are actually two broods of cicadas that are hatching this year.  Apparently, even in the insect world, there are late-comers; those who overslept a couple of years and are just now making their grand appearance…only to find their song isn’t the only one being sung.  And thus we have, for our temporary enjoyment, the cicada duet as the fashionably late Brood 19 cicadas (whose timely family members hatched in 2002) are forced to sing back-up to the on-time Brood 23 cicadas.  All in all, this year is proving to be quite musical as we experience a cacophony of cicada exultations.

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve not only heard the song of the cicada, but I’ve also heard the moan of man as, one by one, groans about the incessant noise of the cicadas have resonated until they have matched the decibel level put forth by the cicadas!  (Which makes me wonder if the cicadas are complaining as much about our droning as we are about their humming?)  That’s when I thought about the similarities between cicadas and Christians.  After all, we are both capable of making noise.  Perhaps we have even more characteristics in common.

To find out how alike we are, I first gathered some facts about cicadas.  Here’s what I found out:

  • Cicadas follow growth cycles; they begin as larvae, develop into nymphs, then molt and emerge as young adults.
  • Cicadas spend most of their life in the nymph stage; their adult life is short.
  • Cicadas feed on the roots of trees.
  • Cicadas can only reproduce while in their adult stage.
  • Cicada males “sing” to attract females; this is necessary for reproduction.
  • Cicada songs are pleasant… to other cicadas!
  • Cicadas leave behind a shell as evidence of their new growth.
  • Cicadas have years of massive hatchings; usually following a 13 or 17 year cycle

As I listed these cicada “truths”, I couldn’t help but notice how similar we, as believers, are to these unusual insects.  We too follow growth cycles that represent our stages ranging from infancy (new believer; “baby Christian”), to adolescence (no longer a milk drinker but not quite a meat-eater), to adulthood (off the bottle and chewing on the meat).  Unfortunately, just like the cicada, many of us spend more time in the “nymph” stage than in the adult stage.  If adulthood for the believer is the period of time in which reproduction takes place…a time when faith is shared and new believers are “born”…then I fear that, comparatively, we spend more time in the preparation stage than we do in the reproductive stage.  The preparation stage is, however, very important and what we feed on will determine how well, and quickly, we develop.  Like the cicada, we too should feed on the roots of our food source.  We need more than the milk of Bible stories, we need the doctrine embedded within those very accounts.  The roots of the word of God are the truths upon which our faith is founded and grounded; we need to go deep to find these.  Cicadas know the richest source of nourishment is located within the roots, where the main food source is stored; as growing believers, we too need to feed upon the rich nourishment that can only be found in the deeply rooted doctrinal truths of Scripture.

Once adulthood has arrived, it’s time to sing (if you’re a male) and respond (if you’re a female).  Just as cicadas lift their voices in order to attract other cicadas, for the purpose of reproduction, we too should be making a noise for the kingdom!  Our voices should be lifted in such a way that those around us hear our message and, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, are attracted to what we have to say.  Cicadas attract cicadas; mature believers should attract new believers.  And, as beauty lies not only in the eyes but also in the ears of the beholder, the song of the redeemed should be as appealing to the Christian community as it is annoying to the secular community.  We were created to be heard; we were made to “proclaim the praises of Him who brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).  There should always be a song going up from those who know from what they have been saved and by Whom they have been purchased!  Then, as others are drawn to this song, they too will join in until Satan is forced to cover his ears and beg for the “Song of the Believer” to cease!

Lastly, believers are similar to cicadas in that they too undergo a molting process.  There is a time in every believer’s life when he sheds the old life that he has outgrown for the new life which is in Christ; Paul writes, “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).  While we tend to think of this process as occurring when we move from unbeliever to believer, and truly this is a time of shedding the old for the new, there should also be times in our “believer life cycle” in which we, like the cicada, outgrow our old shell and step out of it in order that our growth may continue.  In fact, we should have more out-grown shells than a cast of crabs!  (Yes, that is the correct terminology.  They may also be referred to as a consortium of crabs.  Now you know.  Thank you Google…lest you thought I actually knew this.)

While these individual comparisons find us more like the cicada than we may have expected, there is one other similarity that can be made but this one has to do with a communal behavior.  While there are some species of cicadas that hatch yearly, the ones that we are currently “enjoying” are the 13-year variety.  Another group, or brood, hatches in 17-year cycles.  At these times, countless cicadas emerge in one accord and it is then that their song rings not only in the air but in our ears!  For Christians, we can trace our loudest songs to those times when revival broke out across Europe and North America.  From the First Great Awakening in the mid-1700s to the Second Great Awakening in the early 1800s, to the Third Great Awakening in the mid-1800s, and finally on to the Worldwide Awakening in the early 1900s, we can see a pattern of “emergence” occurring about every 50 years.  Unfortunately, the cicadas have us beaten in this area as they hatch out far more frequently than we, as a collective group of believers, do.  Perhaps we need to give that some thought.  Perhaps, rather than wondering when the cicadas will stop making such a raucous, we should ask ourselves when we will begin making such a racket.  May we all awaken and break out in song saying, Awake, my glory!  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn, I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.”   (Psalm 57:8-9)

May we all be Cicada Christians…feeding, molting, singing, and reproducing…for the glory of the Lord, for the good of mankind, and for the ears of all who will listen!