No more sting!

Yesterday as we were eating lunch I saw a red wasp buzzing around the window right behind Joi. I knew if she saw the wasp she would go full throttle into drama queen mode. Our girls are extremely fearful of anything that stings...probably because they saw the effects of my encounter with a swarm of African bees in the D.C. area...just imagine my face swollen to three times it's normal size...very freakish!

So as not to alarm her, I nonchalantly got up to get my trusty wasp killer. I slipped in behind her and swatted the life out of the wasp. Of course this got the girl's attention. I showed them the dead wasp and told them they didn't have to fear it's sting anymore. You would have thought I had slayed a ferocious lion. They were extremely grateful...daddy to the rescue! The biggest impact was that they knew I had come to their rescue while they had no idea how close they came to a painful sting.

I immediately thought of what Paul said in 1 Co. 15 about the victory we have as Christians. So we had an impromptu discussion family devotion. I described that there was a time when we were completely unaware of what our adversary was doing to bring damage and destruction in our lives. But there came a day when each of us realized how messed up our lives where due to sin and Satan and we cried out to Jesus to rescue and save us. He took the sting of death away and has given us a new life free from fear. Tomorrow we celebrate that truth on Resurrection Sunday at Capshaw Baptist Church. I am grateful for the timing this wasp encounter for it reminds me of what Paul was led to write in the following verses.

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Cor 15:54-57 (NIV)