Faithful Through the Year: June Edition
Faithful Through the Year: June Edition
Title: Aimee Little and the June Bug Scare
Theme: Facing Fears, Finding Strength, and Fatherly Wisdom
Scripture Focus: Psalm 56:3 — “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”
Story: Aimee Little and the June Bug Scare
Aimee Little was just a little thing by most standards. At five feet tall and barely twenty-five, she looked more like a high school sophomore than the lead designer at the Maple Lane Gazette. But what she lacked in size, she made up for in spunk and style—her wardrobe a patchwork of vintage florals, corduroy skirts, and colorful shoes she’d found at thrift stores.
The townsfolk adored Aimee. She designed festival flyers, illustrated funny comics in the Sunday edition, and helped run the Gazette’s new digital puzzle page. She was quirky, smart, and always had glitter paint under her nails.
But there was one thing—one small, unassuming thing—that could reduce her to a squealing mess: June bugs.
It didn’t matter how harmless they were. The erratic flying. The crunch when you stepped on one. The sticky way they clung to screen doors. She hated them.
June in Maple Lane meant warm nights, watermelon slices, fireflies… and the return of those dreaded beetles.
This year, the Gazette was covering the Father’s Day Fishing Derby down by Willow Creek Lake. Aimee had to go. She had to take photos, interview the contestants, and layout the whole Sunday spread. But the woods? The bugs? The dusk air?
No, thank you.
She nearly backed out. That is, until Sheriff Grady showed up at the Gazette with a tackle box and a paper bag filled with donuts.
“Little Miss Aimee,” he said kindly, “I heard you’re heading to the lake this weekend.”
She groaned. “I was supposed to. Until I remembered it’s basically a flying bug buffet down there.”
Grady chuckled. “Want a tip?”
Aimee blinked.
“June bugs don’t like light. So we’ll bring lanterns. They’ll fly right past you. And if one does get too close—” he held up a fishing net, “I’ll swat it like I’m catching butterflies.”
Aimee smiled despite herself.
Grady, who had never had children of his own, had quietly become a father figure to more than one Maple Lane misfit. He wasn’t loud about it. But he showed up—with donuts, advice, and a calm sort of wisdom that made even the scariest things seem manageable.
That weekend, Aimee stood by the lake, camera in hand, safe in the glow of her lantern and the shadow of Grady’s quiet presence. She caught more than snapshots—she caught a moment of bravery. She even let a June bug land on her boot without shrieking.
It flew away. She stayed.
And the Father’s Day issue of the Gazette was her best design yet.
Reflection Prompt:
What small thing has had a big hold on your courage lately?
Who in your life has shown up with quiet strength and reminded you you're braver than you believe?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the father figures who guide us with gentle words and faithful presence. Help me to trust You when I feel small or afraid. Let me stand in Your light when the bugs of life buzz too close, and give me courage—one step, one deep breath, one kind voice at a time. Amen.
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