SWAT Team

This morning, I had breakfast with a few friends. Before we even had coffee on the table, a little gnat made its way into our table space and buzzed around our heads. We politely shooed it away until it got on all of our nerves. I looked at my friends and said, “IT WILL DIE!” Shortly after a moment of laughter, it flew in front of me and I went into Mr. Miyagi mode. (Please watch The Karate Kid if you’re unfamiliar with this legend!) With a loud clap of my hands….IT DIED! I wiped off my hands and continued the conversation. Within two minutes, another one came around. This time, with a loud smash on the table, IT DIED, too.

Those little gnats spoke to me today. Isn’t it just like us to just “shoo away” the annoying things in our lives while they just continue to circle around our heads and distract us? And have you ever noticed how, left unaddressed, those gnats seem to multiply themselves? Chew on that for a few minutes.

As we’ve just started a New Year, maybe it’s time to address some of those “gnats” in our lives. Maybe it’s time to call in the SWAT (Something Worth Addressing Today) Team and take care of those things once and for all. Maybe these “gnats” invade your head and heart space on a daily basis:

✳️ Being offended
✳️ Pride
✳️ Manipulating people
✳️ Jealousy
✳️ Speaking words of death over others
✳️ Blaming
✳️ Insecurity
✳️ Bitterness
✳️ Overspending
✳️ Making excuses
✳️ Overeating
✳️ Endlessly scrolling

When you read over that list, none of them sound like things we would WANT to have consistently swirling around us. However, if we simply tolerate their presence in our lives and “shoo” them away on occasion, they will make themselves at home and just become a part of who we are.

Today, may the “gnats” of our lives drive us to call in the SWAT Team and send them packing. May they be more fearful of your hand clap or table slap than you are of the work it takes to exterminate them!

“GET RID OF all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬