Stink Bugs and Truth

Stink bugs. Seriously, did you happen to see my recent Instagram story about them? If you did, and you saw my reaction to one coming after me…well, you’re welcome for the free entertainment. I usually have a few pop up here and there every year but it’s no big deal. However this year? I know I’m not the only one but…WHERE ARE THEY ALL COMING FROM?! I thought we had just a few on our back door until I went outside this morning for a fun homeschool activity and the side of my house was COVERED in them! Probably several hundred. You heard me right, HUNDREDS. And while I love nature and have dreams of living on my own farmland one day…I just…I just can’t with stink bugs. They give zero craps about who you are or where you are. Who knew they enjoy flying so much?! And they give me all the feels of them having full conversations amongst themselves on which one will attempt to break rfree into the house and take over. I had no idea we were living in a modern name Egypt with the plague of stink bugs instead of locusts! But really, do you have suggestions for quick and easy ways to get rid of them? Are they attracted by something specific? Will they go away once fall sets in with cooler weather? I suppose this is something I could have my kids research for a homeschool project but if you have a suggestion, please, PLEASE send me a message on facebook or Instagram OR send me an email at [email protected]. I will love you forever if it works and will even send you a thank you gift. I’m not even joking. But really? REALLY? It is time for us to stop turning to the world for answers, seeking their approval, trying to not rock the boat to much for fear of being cancelled. Why are we so quick to back down when conflict occurs…or there are some who refuse to back down but their feet are not planted on solid ground. We need to not only wake up but to put on the FULL armor and stand up. You cannot fight a battle without armor, it’s just plain dumb if you do and leads inevitably to death. What are we supposed to stand up to? Well, I think it’s important to address both what we stand up to as well as why the FULL armor matters. After all, my children learn best when they know the WHY behind their learning. I know I hated certain things in school as a kid because I thought “I will NEVER need to know this.” So what are we told to put on? First is the belt of truth. I think about how it’s so mainstream to say “well, I’m telling my truth.” But shouldn’t the truth be the truth be the truth?? What am I missing there? I mean, I get that someone may share how they are feeling in a situation so others can understand a different view. Like riding a roller coaster. One person may feel exhilarated by the speed and someone else may feel sheer terror. Both people are not wrong because it is the truth with how they feel. BUT! There is another truth…truth that is fact. Like the fact that a roller coaster is fast, it has hills or turns, sudden stops, what color it is, that sort of thing, That’s truth and even if someone says “well, I don’t agree with you” doesn’t change that the roller coaster is all of those things. When we put on the belt of truth, is that our personal truth? Is that what we’ve been told all of our lives? Is that what society or the media tells us to believe? I wondered if there was a reason why the belt of truth was listed first in the description of armor. Soooo, I did a little searching. Roman soldiers stored their weapon in their belt. Without a belt, they couldn’t carry the weapon. Not only that, but the belt also helped to secure other pieces of armor. I suppose it was essential in that if you didn’t have the belt, your armor might fall off or you may not be able to protect yourself with your weapons being closely at hand. In order to know that answer, we have to know what the source of truth is. WHO the source of truth is. Back in the day, the news would site their sources in order to back up what they were saying. Nowadays, it appears the news just shares what they want, based on their own viewpoints, and then expect us to just believe it and move on. Sigh, the good ol’ days. But, I happen to know of a verse that gives us the answer to what or who our source of truth is! John 14:6 says “Jesus said I am the way the TRUTH and the life.” Well, what do ya know?! We found that the SOURCE of truth…the REAL TRUTH…is Jesus. We can’t put on the belt of truth if we aren’t constantly seeking the truth and that truth lies in knowing who God is. When we know who He is, the rest of our armor will hold in place because we will know who is leading this battle. When you know your commander, you can proceed into battle with confidence, knowing He will stand with you and for you. Just like a stink bug, the devil can creep into areas of our lives and cause discomfort, doubt, pain, conflict. The little things begin to take over every space of our lives, our thoughts, our actions…and before long we are ready to burn the house down…or run away and hide from reality. We get drawn in and focused on the confusion that’s going on and before long we are drowning in a sea of doubt. I’m going to challenge you to do something. We are almost in the last 90 days of the year. Can you believe it? We thought 2020 was bad and then 2021 felt like a younger sibling trying to show off and show up a big brother or sister. Can you commit doing 7 days of truth with me? No matter what day you are listening, you can start today. 7 days of truth. What does this mean? We are going to find out who God is by diving into the truth of His word. I am going to post a passage of scripture every day on my social media accounts for 7 days – that is Facebook and Instagram – and I would like you to read them on your own and check in to say you read it along with any type of take-away you have. I’ll be doing it alongside of you. Now if you DON’T have Facebook or Instagram, you can still participate. You can simply email me with the topic of 7 Day Truth Challenge and I will personally send you an email with the scripture of the day for 7 days. Don’t worry, I won’t bombard you with emails outside of that. If you are in, I will post the links to Facebook and Instagram in my show notes or you can search Imperfectly Pollyanna. If you want to email me instead, you can send it to [email protected]. I will start posting the scriptures on Friday, October 1st so if you are listening after that date, that’s ok! Just hop in or read and catch up. I’m not going anywhere! I’m really looking forward to this challenge and doing it with you. If you know of anyone who would like to participate with us, feel free to send them this episode or tag them in the social media posts. Find me on Facebook Find me on Instagram Email me: [email protected]