Unwelcome Guests

I opened the kitchen cupboard, and a pantry moth flew out. I must have bought something contaminated with moth eggs, and the infestation had spread unnoticed until now.

I cleaned everything in the cupboard and the cupboard itself. I threw out crackers, cereal, flour, rice, and pasta. This was food that I had laid up in preparation for emergencies, and now it was all ruined. Eradicating the pests required loss of accumulated “treasure” and weeks of vigilant reinspections.

The process made me think about how something like a bad attitude, habit, or behavior can start small and innocently but can grow and spread to affect important areas of life. We may not realize its destructive effects until something precious to us, such as our reputation, relationships, job, health, or Christian witness, has been damaged. Like pantry moths, once an attitude, habit, or behavior is established, it can be hard to get rid of. We need to ask God to cleanse us (Ps. 51:10) and then avoid things connected to the former bad attitude, habit, or behavior (2 Pet. 2:22).

If we replace our old ways with good attitudes, habits, and behaviors, such as compassion, regular devotion times, and acts of love, we will be securing our treasure in heaven.