By Pastor Leah Fintel Krotz, Trinity Lutheran Church, Bruning
One of the things many of us appreciate about living in the Midwest is the change in seasons. Of course, we complain about the weather (A LOT!), but we appreciate the distinct seasons and the joys of each one. I can find something to love about every season in Nebraska.
Every season, that is, except Japanese beetle season.
We live on the family farm, and our acreage is full of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Not only is gardening one of my hobbies, but my mom and dad and my grandma also planted lots of beautiful plants. We have dozens of trees and shrubs, many, many perennials, and around fifty rose bushes. And though caring for them is a lot of work, the beauty they bring to our lives makes it all worthwhile.
At least, until the Japanese beetles arrive! Up until four years ago, I’d never even seen one, and then I began to find them munching on my favorite David Austen roses. We did our research on the best ways to control them, and we’ve tried just about everything. But each year, there are more and more.
This year, along with the usual roses and hydrangeas and asparagus and Rose of Sharon, they have attacked all sorts of other plants, including our apple trees. I go out almost every morning and evening to knock them off into a bucket of soapy water I call the Japanese beetle swimming pool, but the damage is still being done. You can barely see the rose buds for the clusters of beetles clinging to them, and the leaves of the apple trees are brown and lacey—really more holes than leaves.
The situation is pretty discouraging. I resent the hours I spend dealing with these invasive insects and the damage they do. As I’m beetle-hunting, I grumble and whine to myself and consider whether I should dig out all the roses and give up on the fruit trees and just find a new hobby! But that’s when a verse often pops into my head, whispering, “Give thanks in all circumstances.”
The Apostle Paul wrote that in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. The full verse is “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” So what is there to give thanks for about my Japanese beetle hunts? Well, I can be thankful I have the time and the resources to enjoy gardening. I can be thankful I’m healthy enough to garden, that I have the ability to see and to walk. I can be thankful that’s it’s only a pastime, and not my livelihood, at stake. And so on….
I fully realize that my Japanese beetle troubles are not really that important! People all around are dealing with much, much, more consequential troubles. But this verse applies even more to the serious difficulties of life. Paul, even as he urges us to give thanks in all circumstances, was himself in danger of prison, torture, and death for proclaiming Jesus. But he had the peace and comfort of knowing that whatever came his way, his Savior would never forsake him and would carry him through.
Whatever you are facing right now, I pray the same for you.
