An Assortment of Arthropods
An Assortment of Arthropods
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Mandy, sister to Tina, wife to David, and mother of four. Our American family has been expats living in Thailand for more than half a decade now. Aside from the obviously huge cross-continental move that brought us here almost 6 years ago, our family has hopped around quite a bit, calling 5 different houses “home” over the last 10 years. At this point in our lives, even the happiest of moves will undoubtedly trigger lots of emotions and feelings.
In June of this year, our family made our most recent transition, moving from a rural Thai town to a larger city about an hour north. And while the move up to the city has brought lots of wonderful gifts, it inescapably brought new changes too.
You have to understand that since as far back as we can recall, Silas (our youngest, 6) has been obsessed with bugs. Being the youngest child, and the last to start school, he once had lots of time to wander the yard catching and studying insects. Our home in the village sat on a farm, and so his days were full of roaming wide spaces and finding lots of interesting specimens.
Recently, Silas was expressing to me how much he misses the old yard and the bugs he would find there. With tears in his eyes, he said, “I haven’t seen a single praying mantis since we moved here.”
It’s true.
Some of us (myself included) are really glad that our house in the city comes with fewer creepy crawlies. But for Silas, this is a huge loss. And as a parent, my heart felt heavy that Silas had a new loss to grieve from this most recent move, and I prayed that God would help Silas know that He hears and loves him.
That night, I put the boys to bed and went outside to sweep. There on the front step sat the biggest praying mantis we had ever found! Usually I’m not the best at catching bugs, but I caught this one, put it in a box, and excitedly went to wake the boys. They were so overjoyed to see how God had seen Silas’s tears and sent a praying mantis!
As I sent the boys back to bed, Silas said, “Wait! What will we feed it? They eat grasshoppers, and I haven’t seen any grasshoppers here at the new house.”
It’s true.
No grasshoppers since we moved here either.
“Let’s figure it out in the morning,” I said wearily as the boys climbed back into their beds.
Then I went to sweep out back, and as I opened the door, something bumped my head and jumped into the house. A grasshopper! I could hardly believe it, but I caught it too, put it in the box, and went to wake the boys a second time! They were ecstatic that God had heard them twice and cared about something so small.
The next morning, we found that the mantis had enjoyed his grasshopper feast and was ready for more. Another grasshopper seemed too much to expect... but when I opened the front door, there was another one waiting on the step!
At this point, we were all definitely feeling God’s particular care and kindness. The boys also managed to catch a baby tokay gecko that day and add it to the box — a very exciting find for them!
That Saturday was full of little boy joy as they worked together to set up a cool ecosystem for their temporary pets. At some point, Judah remarked that he would also love to have a crab to put in the box. No one thought much about that.
Until…
Sunday morning we went to breakfast. The place had a wide yard, and so, in his usual fashion, Silas was roaming around looking for bugs. The neighboring houses are separated from the restaurant by walls of bushes, but an old man who lives behind the restaurant called for Silas to come near and handed him a present through the shrubbery. It was a living crab!
Have you ever been handed a living crab before? If so, I dare say that there was a context that made that make sense... but the only way to explain this was that God really wanted our family to learn that He hears us and He deeply cares about us in even the smallest of things; so much so that in 36 hours He sent us a strange assortment of arthropods and an exotic gecko.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” - Jesus (Matthew 10:29-31, ESV)
I am so thankful that we serve a God who is far bigger than we could ever fathom, and who also cares about the smallest details of our lives more than we could ever believe.
Let’s be honest, though… As amazing as this story is and as treasured as this experience will always be for our family, our day-to-day experience isn’t God answering our hearts’ desires one after the other. We often experience a response of “no,” or “wait,” or just… silence. How do we respond when God doesn’t show up like we hoped or expected? What do we do when it feels like He does not see or care?
We keep acting in faith; because we believe that our Father God does see, does care; He is always good; always giving us the best for us in every moment.
Tim Keller was known for this great saying, “God will only give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything he knows,” and holding this confidence tightly when we don’t understand is the mark of one whose heart trusts deeply in both the goodness and the sovereignty of an incomprehensibly wonderful Father God.
The King of all things, and yet, we can draw confidently near the throne as His little children. And we can bring all our hopes and fears — both the big and the small — before our Father, knowing that however He responds, His extravagant love will be displayed towards us. Sometimes He gives arthropods and sometimes He takes them away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
About the Author: Mandy England is currently living in Thailand with her husband David, and their four children, Sophie (12), Judah (11), Christian (9), Silas (6).
With a spiritual gift of hospitality and a natural sense of creativity, Mandy uses her talents and giftings to bless and encourage others in the faith. Some of her original artwork can be viewed and purchased on her Etsy shop, WithSureHope.
Follow her on Instagram (@mandyengland.art).
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