Surrounded: A Swarm of Love

There I am—riding along with giant headphones, dirt bike goggles, and worship music in my ears—mowing row after row in our yard. I’m the grass cutter in our family. Yes, it's me. Most days I love it…unless it’s summer, when Florida heat makes it a little less bearable.

I love the smell of fresh-cut grass. I love the quiet rhythm of it. Mowing gives me space to be alone with my thoughts—to reflect, to pray, and to feel that satisfying sense of accomplishment when the yard goes from wild jungle to clean and orderly oasis.

One day, I was mowing the grass during love bug season. If you are from Florida, you know that love bug season is not as fun as it may sound. The love bugs will be everywhere. They especially seem to be drawn to cars —the cars don't love them back. 

 This past season, the love bugs seemed to have multiplied. As I mowed, they were all around me. In this one section, they were swarming around me in a thick cloud of bugs that seemed to follow me down each row.

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I got this picture of who God is. He is always with us—surrounding us with His love and protection. We are never fully alone. Even when we can’t physically see Him, He is there, fighting for us and shielding us from harm.

 That's why I loved this visual so much: it felt like I could actually see His presence through this representation of love bugs. We can't see His presence like the love bugs, but knowing that He is always there gives me peace. It reassures me that no matter what, I can trust Him to be with me, making the scariest moments less overwhelming.

As I kept mowing, the love bugs started flying into my face and my arms, and it honestly felt like an attack. That reminded me of something else: just as God surrounds us, the enemy also likes to attack us. The enemy will come and try to attack us, but this is a beautiful reminder that even when we are under spiritual attack, when we are in the valley, we are never alone.

We are never fighting the battle alone. God is right there. He is surrounding us. He is protecting us.

The bugs did fly into my face and on my arms, but they didn't make it to where I had to stop mowing the row of grass I was on. Did they make it more challenging to see as I mowed? Yes! I could still see the path I was on and keep moving forward. The enemy may try to blur our vision and throw us off the path God has for us, but God is there with us through every attempt. He will help us to continue to see the path He set before us. We have to keep moving forward and trusting in Him.

I can't think of anything that brings me more comfort or peace than knowing my Heavenly Father is always fighting for me. I pray that you experience this comfort and peace in your life this week, especially if you have felt under attack.

" I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:2

Blessings,

Stephanie