A Fruit Fly

“O my, swallowed a fly, poor little old woman, I think you’ll die.” This nursery rhyme was repeatedly recited by a classmate in my elementary school days that has stuck in my mind for a long time. I thought it was silly.  Not until the time I read an article about one fruit fly that made the headline in the New Zealand Herald on May 11, 2012.  The picture of the fly occupied one half of the front page of the popular daily.

The NZ Herald report said, “A 1.5km red zone cordon surrounds the Auckland suburb of Avondale in a bid to contain a biological disaster that experts fear could decimate New Zealand's $3.5 billion fruit and vegetable export industry. A male Queensland fruit fly was found in a surveillance trap in neighbouring Mt Roskill on Tuesday.”

As a precautionary measure, biosecurity personnel have set up traps in the area to prevent the spread of Q'fly, considered Australia's most serious insect pest of fruit and vegetable crops. An official of the Horticultural New Zealand, in an effort to temper the impact of the finding said, “They only found one fly, were onto it really early, and it's only a male - he can't do much on his own."

Sin is very much like one fly that could cause the collapse of an industry. One sinner can contaminate others, resulting in a spiritual contagion upon a population or a generation. While there are those who think little sins are harmless, actually they are more dangerous for they infiltrate unwitting victims who become themselves carrier of those sins to others.
An example is the contamination of trash language into homes. It either begins with one or both parents shouting profanities between each other or to their children. The next thing we know the kids are talking trash that influence their friends and associates. Most probably, some of these kids grow up to become TV or film directors who produce trash films such as “Hangover”, “Bad Teacher” and “Get Me to the Greek”. These flicks, harmless they may seem, have made the use of trash talk common among people.

Establishing a cordon to contain a lethal fly may be a good idea, in the same manner as doing a good deed can counteract evil. “Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” (Jude 1:22-23)
But then, good deed alone cannot defeat evil; it must be good deed with the grace of Jesus Christ.  For only the blood of the Lamb of God can cleanse the contaminated soul, thus, recreating a new person, that is "put on the new self, created to be like God."

So next time you see a fly, think on sin. As you swat a fly, so must you with sin, always calling God on your side.