Her Sides

One evening, I sat down with my family to read the second chapter of the Book of Joel from the NLT translation. As we made our way through the verses, we paused at verse 25, where we found ourselves caught up by the play on words:  “The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts.   It was I who sent this great destroying army against you.” The reason we got stuck on this verse was, admittedly, because of a cheeky question from one of my kids: “Just how many locusts are there?” We laughed at the detailed descriptions: swarming, hopping, stripping, and cutting locusts. Each type seemed to add to the gravity of the destruction described. But beyond the humor, the verse resonated with me on a deeper level. It reminded me of how challenges can come at us relentlessly, often in different forms but with the same destructive intent.   After our brief sidetra...