The Purge
Over the past few weeks I have noticed moths flying around the kitchen and pantry. I had been swatting them down when I could reach them and been pretty happy with myself when I got them. Then I started noticing the cocoons attached to the sides of some of my containers, and upon closer inspection, webbing in the dry powdery contents. Then I looked at a container of buckwheat and beans that I hadn’t opened in a while and to my disgust I found that inside the container there was not only webbing from the cocoon but actual moths that had hatched and were flying around trapped inside! How had it gotten to this?
I did a quick wikihow search and thus began the 8-step purge while Darrell kept my son out of mischief. First I had to throw out everything in my pantry that was flour, sugar, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or anything that had any sign of the moths at any life-stage. That included anything that even looked like eggs. It was bagged and put out in the trash immediately (which went out that night since apparently it shouldn’t even be too close to the house).
Anything that looked clean but was still a likely target went into the freezer. All the containers were scrubbed in hot soapy water with a toothbrush and left to dry completely. The shelves, doors and hinges were scrubbed as well, then sprayed with vinegar and tea tree oil. The whole surrounding region and any cracks or crevices were sprayed with bug spray and pantry moth traps were set. Then the whole area left to air for 36 hours.
All the remaining items (bottles and cans) were inspected closely and sprayed with vinegar and tea tree oil for posterity.
Finally my pantry was looking incredibly clean (and empty) and the tension from the ordeal oozed away as I realised that the my kitchen and home were contaminant-free. But it was a somewhat guarded sense of relief as this was not the first time this had happened. And if the comments in the wikihow section were anything to go by, the moths would probably come back again.
Often moth eggs are in the flour and dry goods you buy and you don’t even realise it. Sometimes they are on the packaging. Some people recommend putting everything you buy in the freezer for a week before you shelve it so that any eggs inside will die.
I couldn’t help but think how similar this is to my life. Sometimes a couple of sins flit around. I smack them down and then continue on. But in reality those visible sins are often the metamorphosis of some tiny egg of a sin deep in my pantry. Who knows how they creep in. Perhaps it’s the lyric in a song or an ad in a magazine. It is often all wrapped up in life’s daily routines and slips in undetected. And if it goes unchecked it could hatch into a niggling worm of discontent that eventually metamorphoses into outbursts of anger and a broken relationship. Or perhaps a bit of stress and dissatisfaction leading to greed to fill the void.
Then the situation comes to a head and the only thing that will help is a complete surrender and overhaul by our Cleanser and Healer. After that, to keep things under control, I need to let Him examine my heart daily and keep the ‘moth traps’ set.
I may have lost hundreds of dollars worth of dry goods but a bad attitude could make me lose a lot more. Hopefully I have learned more than just a lesson on pantry cleanliness and will be more careful about the state of the storehouse in my heart – keep me in your prayers!
