The Mink River Estuary and other areas around it have to be some of the most beautiful nature reserves in America. Wisconsin is a great state.
The Green-Eyed or Emerald Dragonfly lives in this area and has made a bit of a "comeback".
However, this post is not merely to point out some gorgeous creations of God, but to share an insight into obedience.
When I was in my twenties, living in Minnesota and camping in Wisconsin now and then, I was praying one day and saw a dragonfly in my imagination. One of the times I heard God had to do with the dragonfly. It is an insect, if you do not know, which can move up and down and sideways, as well as forward quickly. Imagine a natural helicopter.
One day I heard the voice of God saying quietly, "I love you because you are like the dragonfly. You change directions and move quickly when I tell you to do something. You respond."
Now, as you know, I have written on obedience ad nauseam for some, on this blog. Obedience is a key virtue in times of chaos, in times of the destruction of civilizations.
One cannot hem and haw about inspirations.
I told this story to some of you who know me. I had an old friend, who is now dead, who escaped from Czechoslovakia just before the Nazi army took over her village in 1939. The armies invaded and had set up camps near their village. She and her sister, both in their teens at the time, were quickly taken aside by their old father. He told them to get on bicycles and ride to Austria, and then to Switzerland. Quite a bike ride.
He said their lives were in danger and he could not escape.
Frantiska laughed and said she intended to bicycle over to the German army camp and see some of the soldiers.
Marketa listened carefully and went into the house immediately. She packed a small rucksack with food and some other things, kissed her father and left.
Frantiska got on her bike and waved, saying she was going to have a good time. No one ever saw her again.
Marketa made it to Switzerland with some help. She ended up in England, where she met her future husband. Eventually, the two immigrated to Canada, where they raised a family and are now both buried.
Marketa responded quickly. War changes situations daily. War causes one place to be safe one day and dangerous the next.
Learn to listen to God and be like the dragonfly, able to switch directions in an instant.
Be a Marketa, not a Frantiska, who was lost to history.
Here is St. Francis de Sales, from his Introduction to the Devout Life, on inspirations.
In contracting amarriage, the bride must be a party to three separate acts: first, the bridegroom is proposed to her; secondly, she entertains the proposal; and thirdly, she gives her consent. Just so when God intends to perform some act of love in us, by us, and with us; He first suggests it by His inspiration; secondly, we receive that inspiration; and thirdly, we consent to it: for, like as we fall into sin by three steps, temptation, delectation, and consent, so there are three steps whereby we ascend to virtue; inspiration, as opposed to temptation; delectation in God's inspiration, as opposed to that of temptation; and consent to the one instead of to the other. Were God's inspirations to last all our lives, we should be nowise more acceptable to Him, unless we took pleasure therein; on the contrary, we should rather offend Him as did the Israelites, of whom He says that they "grieved Him for forty years long, refusing to hear His pleadings, so that at last" I "sware in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest." [46] And (to recur to my first illustration) one who has long been devoted to his lady-love, would feel greatly injured if, after all, she would not consent to the alliance he seeks. The delight we take in God's inspirations is an important step gained towards His Glory, and we begin at once to please Him thereby; for although such delectation is not the same thing as a full consent, it shows a strong tendency thereto; and if it is a good and profitable sign when we take pleasure in hearing God's Word, which is, so to say, an external inspiration, still more is it good and acceptable in His Sight when we take delight in His interior inspirations. Such is the delight of which the Bride says, "My soul melted within me when my Beloved spake." [47] And so, too, the earthly lover is well satisfied when he sees that his lady-love finds pleasure in his attentions. But, after all, consent only perfects the good action; for if we are inspired of God, and take pleasure in that inspiration, and yet, nevertheless, refuse our consent to His inspiration, we are acting a very contemptuous, offensive part towards Him. We read of the Bride, that although the voice of her Beloved touched her heart, she made trivial excuses, and delayed opening the door to Him, and so He withdrew Himself and "was gone." [48] And the earthly lover, who had long sought a lady, and seemed acceptable to her, would have the more ground for complaint if at last he was spurned and dismissed, than if he had never been favourably received.
Do you, my daughter, resolve to accept whatever inspirations God may
vouchsafe you, heartily; and when they offer themselves, receive them
as the ambassadors of your Heavenly King, seeking alliance with you.
Hearken gently to their propositions, foster the love with which you
are inspired, and cherish the holy Guest. Give your consent, and let it
be a full, loving, stedfast consent to His holy inspirations; for, so
doing, God will reckon your affection as a favour, although truly we
can confer none upon Him. But, before consenting to inspirations which
have respect to important or extraordinary things, guard against
self-deception, by consulting your spiritual guide, and let him examine
whether the inspiration be real or no; and that the rather, because
when the enemy sees a soul ready to hearken to inspirations, he is wont
to set false delusions in the way to deceive it,--a snare you will not
fall into so long as you humbly obey your guide.
Consent once given, you must carefully seek to produce the intended
results, and carry out the inspiration, the crown of true virtue; for
to give consent, without producing the result thereof, were like
planting a vine without meaning it to bear fruit. All this will be
greatly promoted by careful attention to your morning exercises, and
the spiritual retirement already mentioned, because therein you learn
to carry general principles to a special application.
