“The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life.” (Prov. 16:17)

There they were. Bright. Juicy. Black. The bush on the edge of the cemetery was literally loaded with them, and I couldn’t resist! Black-capped Raspberries are not the typical berries you can buy in the store, and whenever I find some in the wild, I consider it to be quite a discovery! Even my dog got excited, for she ranks black-capped raspberries right up there with Snausages and Milkbones!

There was no holding us back. Into the bush we dove! And right back out of it we jumped! Not only was the bush loaded with raspberries, it was also loaded with mosquitoes! Thousands of them! And even after several minutes of slapping and stomping, both of us were covered with welts.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have taken me by surprise, but it did. After all, even though it was early morning, perfect time for bugs, the open air of the cemetery had been relatively clear. (Could it be that this was because all of the mosquitoes were enjoying black-capped raspberries???) But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Even in the middle of the day, the “buggiest” areas are usually the ones in the brush—the thicker the brush, the thicker the bugs! It occurred to me as I brushed off the last offending creature from my dog’s muzzle that one way to avoid bugs is to stay away from buggy places!

Of course, I could have put on some bug spray before leaving home, and this would have allowed me to enjoy my tasty snack without all of the competition. But even so, I would have had to wave the hordes off of my raspberries, out of my ears, off of my hair, and away from my eyes before I could have REALLY enjoyed picking the treats!

The host of bugs that I had only become acquainted with since moving to Canada remind me so much of a Christian’s walk in the world. We can’t go out without being surrounded by temptation and the evil effects of sin. Yet it is true that in the world there are places where temptation and sin abounds more than others! And yes, we can cover ourselves with the Blood of Jesus—our spiritual “bug spray”—to stay free of the “bug bites”, but wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to worry so much about them flying up in our eyes, buzzing in our ears, and swarming around our hair? The simplest way of doing this is to avoid “buggy” places! Avoid even the appearance of evil!

Is it any wonder we are told: Prov 16:17: “The highway of the upright AVOIDS EVIL; he who GUARDS HIS WAY GUARDS HIS LIFE”? (emphasis mine.) What about it friends? The next time you are tempted to go into those “buggy” places – places where temptation abounds, remember my black-capped raspberries! Avoid being caught up in sin by staying away from “buggy” places!

Lyn Chaffart

(To access the entire “Bugs” devotional series, please click here.)