By Molly Simpson

I live out in the country in North Georgia, on a little homestead filled with pigs, goats, sheep, dogs, chickens… and teenagers. One of our favorite places to go is the world’s largest indoor flea market. (Free entertainment and some great deals—what’s not to love?) A couple of weeks ago, we brought home some delicious oranges and dropped them into the fruit bowl on the counter.

Now, quick warning for those of you with big families: downsizing your grocery habits after your kids start leaving the nest is no easy task. I went from feeding five kids down to just two, and I’m still figuring out how to adjust. 😅

So the four of us enjoyed the oranges, but there are only so many you can eat before the rest start to go soft. They were no longer tempting to us… but the fruit flies? Oh, they were delighted. I came home one day after a long outing to a swarm of them levitating out of my sink. 😝 They were everywhere: on the dishes (clean and dirty), the table, counters, stove—even my glass of water. 🤢 Another brigade had taken up residence in the trash can.

But today, something unexpected happened. As I filled a fresh glass of water, I paused to look around… and realized: my kitchen was CLEAN. And had been clean for several days in a row. Why? Because I’ve been waging war against the fruit flies. To starve them out, I’ve been keeping the dishes done, counters wiped, trash taken out, and everything in order.

And it hit me—God used fruit flies to help me accomplish what had once felt impossible.

(Quick tangent, stay with me. 🤪) I’ve never been what you’d call a stellar housekeeper. Dishes? My arch nemesis. I once saw a sign that said, “Excuse the mess—children under construction,” and I took it as gospel. 😏

But those fruit flies? They sparked a transformation. It’s amazing how even something as tiny and annoying as a fruit fly can serve a divine purpose.

Oh—and for those of you like me who need closure: yes, the fruit fly population has gone way down. The war isn’t over… but I will win. 💪

Ever wonder why life seems so full of challenges? Like just when the clouds start to part, you hear thunder rolling in from the south?

Humor me for a second while I jump back in time. I promise it’s going somewhere.

From the time I was a little girl, all I wanted was to be a mother. When people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always had a ready answer. Even in high school, I stuck to it. Maybe I was an odd duck, but I actually wrote essays and book reports on parenting.

So when I met my Prince Charming and he asked me to be his Princess, we didn’t waste time. We got married and eagerly started our family. My passion for motherhood only grew. One of the parenting resources I loved emphasized the power of positive parenting. And I thought, “Great! I’m already positive—I smile a lot and say nice things to people. This’ll be easy!”

Then came the challenge: count how many negative thoughts you have in a day. Any time I thought words like “no,” “don’t,” “can’t,” or “not,” I had to make a tally mark. Less than an hour in, It appeared I couldn’t make tally marks fast enough! My whole self-perception went out the window.

That moment became a huge turning point. Thankfully, my kids were still toddlers when I began this journey, so they only got a taste of the “negative mom” before I began shifting my thoughts. Rephrasing everything took real effort. Instead of saying, “Don’t jump on the couch!” I’d wrestle with it and finally say, “Get off the couch and go jump outside!” It was like I could feel new wrinkles forming in my brain. 🧠

But guess what? That kind of communication was so much more effective. It actually worked!

Around that same time, one of my favorite TV channels launched a campaign with the slogan: “See the Good.” It was perfect timing. That phrase became my mantra. And yes, if you listen closely, you’ll still catch me whispering it to myself from time to time.

The Law of Polarity teaches us that everything has an opposite—and when we adjust our "perspectacles," we really can see the good in any circumstance.

Even if it’s just a kitchen full of fruit flies. 🧡

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