I Ate a Bug

“A friend loveth at all times.” Proverbs 17:17a (KJV) I ate a bug . . . not just any bug, I ate a roach. My friend, Francis, was sweet and painfully shy. She worked as a bank teller 20 years and she lived with her parents until she was in her forties. At last Francis got the courage to leave home and get her own apartment. Francis decided to have her first party in her new apartment and invited her closest friends. She’d worked hard to have everything perfect, and she’d cooked all the food herself. I sat next to Francis, and she filled a bowl with her homemade soup and set it in front of me. I scooped up some soup in my spoon and, just before I got it to my mouth, I saw a dead roach floating in the soup. I looked up to see Francis smiling happily at me, waiting for me to taste her special soup. I looked around the table—everyone was watching me. I couldn’t say, “Oh, there’s a roach in my soup.” If I put my spoon back into the bowl someone else might see the roach floating around. If Francis knew there was a roach in the soup, she’d be humiliated and probably never have another party in her life. I couldn’t embarrass her. I smiled at Francis, opened my mouth, and swallowed the soup . . . and the roach. Everyone had a wonderful time; the food was delicious; Francis was thrilled her first party was a success. Every few months, Francis would invite her friends for a special dinner, and I never missed one of them. Francis is loved by her family, her co-workers, and her friends. I need to let Francis be Francis because that is what she does best, and I like her just the way she is. I like her so much, I’d eat a bug. Thank you, God, for friends. – Crying Wind   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org