what I learned from my (supposedly) barren fleas

Being patient isn't the thing I am best at. However I am the world's (or the universe's maybe even) greatest loather of bugs. Yes, all the bugs. I. hate. them. all.

Of recent, the bugs and the patience, have paired up against me. And so here I find myself. Loathing, itching, and extremely impatient.

Someone, actually someone and their entire extended family and their extended family's family and their family's extended family's extended family, invaded our home prior to our arrival.

Fleas.

There I said it. The whole world can know it now. Fleas. I'm that missionary. That flea bitten missionary.

Sad (itchy) sigh.

Should I mention the very first evidence of the fleas were my very itchy ankles, but that I wasn't actually aware of their invasion until one DARED to jump on to and then proceed to drown in the juice of my sautéed green beans, dragging it's pathetic little carcass, across my dinner plate? YES, ON MY DINNER PLATE.

Here's where the patience bit comes in. So the first part of the waiting to kill the fleas (yes, I have had to wait to end their invasion #ohthehorror) was out of concern for Jade's asthma. I mean, I hate the fleas, but I do love the asthmatic more (that's a lot of loving, y'all). Once permission was granted from her doctor (and the asthmatic was on steroids) I made the expensive purchases.

(In complete and sheer brutal honesty, I may have in a extreme panicky moment, also requested further methods of irradiation from a few very close friends in America. No, I feel no shame.)

Are you catching my drift here? Me, hater of all of the bugs, flea-bitten and panicky, waiting to kill the bugs that were multiplying by monumental standards as each second passed by...

So, the glorious day arrived. The day the fleas and all their family's extended family who had, without our knowledge or permission, taken over our home (slight exaggeration) would die. They would all die. Or so I thought. 

Big, giant (itchy) sigh.

I came home from setting off all six of the flea bombs in our 1100 square foot home (a bit much you say? nothing is too much considering I was being eaten alive from my ankles up) to find a very alive flea (its as if he was mocking me) in Jade's bed. (Yes, it was in her bed. Yes, it had been on my plate. Remember they are all family. It must be a family thing...) As I stood there staring at his jumping self, I worked quite hard to begin convincing myself that the undaunted little critter might have been alive, but he was of course moving slower (wasn't he?)... Surely he was near his impending death? I mean the flea bombs had killed at least 20 roaches, a fly, three spiders and an entire gaggle of fruit flies. Certainly the fleas were all dead or approaching their demise. Certainly.

Until two days later.

When I found more. Jumping. Without a care in the world.

Imagine my panic. 

Imagine my grief. 

Seriously, guys, in all the seriousness.. I was extremely distraught. So obviously I googled. Cause doesn't everyone revert to google?! And then I read the fine print. 

"Note that when the product is being used for the first time, it may take up to three weeks for the Insect Growth Regulator to reach full effectiveness and achieve a complete break in the breeding cycle."

First of all. WHAT THE HECK? Three WEEKS????????????????????????

Second of all. WHAT THE HECK? "Insect Growth Regulator"??????????

Saddest and longest (and itchiest) sigh.

Obviously, I googled this "Insect Growth Regulator". Please, please, please control your anticipation... I know you are on the edge of your seat wondering what I found!! So here ya have it... this is what I found out. (But first, please know I am saving you from the details that I learned about the complexity of the flea's life cycle. However, that said, let me at least tell you this - they are hearty little critters because of their complicated life cycle.) You see, basically, the only way to completely annihilate them is to interrupt their life cycle. Yes, in order for my fleas, every last one of my fleas, to DIE for forever, they must be rendered barren. And supposedly this "Insect Growth Regulator" will do the trick. It's like birth control for fleas. Any flea that has hatched, post flea bomb, cannot make new baby fleas. This "Insect Growth Regulator" has left them sterile. Supposedly.

Fascinating, eh?

But why write about it? First, I suppose because of the shock factor... who really announces on their blog that they have a large family of fleas living amongst their human family? Oh, yep, that would probably only be me. And secondly cause my friend Stephanie asked me to. (Yes, sweet friend, this post is for you. Once again, you have challenged me to think deep on something I thought was only rather shallow.)

This is what I have learned from my (supposedly) barren fleas. First, I despise fleas more than roaches. I know - I am as shocked as you are. And secondly, I have learned that sin, when allowed, will creep in to every nook and cranny like a poison cloud. Though it can often take a while to notice the consequences, spiritual life will be rendered barren in its presence. Obedience to the Lord and His plan for my life is a conscious choice. Kinda like this, since I have known the fleas were here, I have KNOWN they were here. Before I realized their presence I was oblivious... My obedience can't be like that. It is a choice that I must make and renew daily. If I am not careful, cautious, alert, aware and assertive my daily walk with Jesus can slow to a crawl (praise the Lord He has slowed down with me when I haven't been able to keep up - uh huh, that's mercy - and I whole 'nother post). But if I only keep crawling, paralyzed by sin... steadily, but most certainly, my life can become spiritually barren. 

"Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every king of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." Colossians 1:10 NLT