Home Owner's Night Mare

Homeowners hate and fear one critter above all others. What is it? Yes, termites, of course. They are notorious for the amount of damage they can cause overnight. Termites eat dead things, like lumber, dry brush and weeds. The most amazing members of this family live in southern Africa. They are social creatures, forming colonies in towers of saliva and dung which they construct with incredible precision. These towers can reach heights of 20 feet and are filled with tunnels which regulate the air flow and temperature so effectively that no matter what the weather is like outside, the tower maintains a balmy 84 - 86 degrees. The queen mother is the life of the colony, growing 3 to 4 inches in length and capable of laying more than 30,000 eggs per day. The queen is well cared for. The workers build her a special cell in the heart of the colony and will readily give their lives to protect her. In spite of their seemingly destructive behaviors, termites play a vital role in the ecology of our planet. They create irrigation ridges, which channel water and create wonderfully fertile soil for new plant growth. Numerous animals feed on them and use their abandoned towers as homes. They are industrious workers with much to teach the scientific community (as well as us more common folk).

I recently received a story from some missionary friends who are living in a part of Africa. These insects are not on their list of friends. It seems that the termites decided to build their network of tunnels in such a way that it extends under my friends' home. Termite activities were quickly causing destruction all around their home. My friends decided to put an end to it. So they dug into the termite hill and poured in poison. But time and again the determined termites would quickly rebuild. Someone explained that, in order to really stop the pests, they had to kill the queen at the middle of the colony. The idea was to dig a small hole in my friends' concrete floor and pour poison into the center of the nest, killing the queen. This they did. It didn't work. The hole kept growing and the price spent on poison ballooned. By the time they gave up, a hole of 7-8 square yards of concrete had been busted up and the termites were still rebuilding and thriving. I feel for my friends and the frustration they must be experiencing, but I wonder, is there something good we can learn from this experience?

It seems as though the termites know a very important truth: What you hide in your heart can be the determining factor between abundant life and certain death.

David declared, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Ps. 119:11 and Jesus made it clear that, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matt. 12:34

From the birth of the first Christians, enemies have arisen seeking to destroy them. When Jesus ascended to heaven, He left with His followers the great commission, "Go and teach all nations." But Satan used the reigning governments to opposed and kill all who took the name of Christ upon their lips. The more they tried to destroy the Christians, the stronger the Christian community became. An author, when describing the Christian persecution during the dark ages, wrote, "The blood of martyrs is seed." As Christians were killed, more would spring up to take their places. They had a secret. They loved God, and His word was hidden in their hearts. They would readily, gladly, defend truth with their lives.

In the 21st Century it seems there is a shift. Recently, the President of the United States of America said, " America is no longer a Christian nation." This should be an eye opener. What has gone wrong? What persecution couldn't do to destroy the Christians, a life of compromise and complacency has accomplished.

What is in the heart of professing Christians today? Is it a deep love for God and His Word? Are we willing to die for our faith? Do we want a pleasing religion, one which requires no sacrifice on our part? There is a warning in the Bible against teaching and believing "smooth things," How much time do we spend in front of the television vs. studying God's Word of Life? The answer to these questions may be the reason for the decline in true devotion among Christians today. Instead of devising all kinds of schemes to aid in church growth, perhaps we should evaluate what is hidden in the chambers of our hearts. When God is enthroned there, we won't need to worry about church growth, God will take care of that.

Bonnie Morsette ~ 6/14/09