Late spring in Florida brings bugs, and for our dogs, that means fleas.

Recently, I gave my dogs a bath, for they were overrun with fleas. After the bath, I looked at my dog and wondered, "Do you know the purpose of a bath? Do you realize that after the bath, you no longer scratch and itch? You can sit peacefully. Maybe if you did know, you wouldn't pull on the leash the whole time." Then a thought hit me. I am not much different from this dog. How often does God wash me through trials and tribulations to rid me of the fleas of this world, without me even understanding?

What if the fleas, for us, are the works of the flesh? Anger, bitterness, sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. They come naturally. Only through Jesus Christ can we be cleansed from those fleas.

In that case, let us face trials and tribulations with thanksgiving. They have a purpose: to wash us, to make us more like Jesus, to give us peace and joy. Let us not pull on the leash; be patient and yield to the will of the Father.

James 1:2–4: "My brethren, count it all joy when you face various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. But let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing."

Beulah Lewis for Pastor Paul & Sister Claudia