Ticks & Satan

Last week while camping, I was hugging my daughter and felt a little bump on her shoulder. You know what I found?

A TICK! Ahh!! I had never seen one in my entire life!

After some SLIGHT panicking and some quick Googling, we found some tweezers. I then proceeded to pull that thing out of my daughter’s skin. It took three tries, but I got it!

Now we just have to wait and see if she develops any symptoms of Lyme disease in the next 30 days. So that’s great.

I think of that tick and find it interesting my daughter didn’t even feel it. It was sucking her blood, FEEDING on her, and yet, she had NO idea. How lucky that I happened to feel it! Otherwise, it could have fed on her for up to 10 days!

Reading about ticks just creeps me out. They’re incredibly resilient. And they do something called “questing,” where they basically lie in wait, clinging to leaves and grass with their back legs while stretching out their front legs, just waiting to grab onto a host! AND their saliva also has anti-inflammatory properties that lets them feed on a host for days without them knowing it! Aren’t these facts freaky? You’re welcome.

The big worry with ticks is disease! They can transmit a LOT of scary things. BUT if they’re removed within 36 hours of attachment, there’s a good chance you’ll be okay!

When Amalickiah’s secret plan was to dethrone the Lamanite king, he started small. He was subtle. As proven when Amalickiah administered “poison by degrees” until Lehonti was dead. Alma 47:18

The enemy patiently waited. Then, like a blood-sucking parasite, grabbed the host and inch by inch TOOK HIM DOWN.

Satan “leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.” 2 Ne 26:22

Satan will grab anyone! He doesn’t care who you are. As long as he gets fed. He takes us for as long as we let him! Then, he moves on, carrying and transmitting all levels of evil. Oftentimes the symptoms come after he’s long gone.

UNLESS we catch him early! He may be attached, but we do NOT have to let him stay! Tweeze, burn, freeze him out! ALL of him.

God will help us identify and free us of the ticks in our lives! The atonement makes all things possible.