Lessons from Mosquitoes

Yesterday my dad asked me some questions. “What’s the state bird of North Carolina?”

“Cardinal,” I answered, feeling knowledgeable. 

"Okay, so what’s the state bird of Wisconsin?” he continued. I didn’t know that one, so he answered for me: “The mosquito!” 

I laughed. Well, I think the mosquito could be the state bird of Michigan too.

These are four stories and four lessons  that I learned from mosquitoes this past week while I was on a girls retreat in Michigan:

1.      I needed to be quiet—not just a lack of noise, but a quietness of soul. I thought a walk around the lake would be a good time to talk to God… but I had only walked a short distance before I was flapping my arms like a bird. The mosquitoes and flies were simply terrible. They buzzed in my ears and landed in my hair. I could hardly stop to take a picture. At times I would run to escape them. And I did talk to God… but I’ll confess some of it was about the mosquitoes. The lesson: learn to thank God for things that make you run faster, however annoying they are. Frustrations in life make reaching the destination more beautiful. Earthly trials will make heaven more glorious.

2.      My whole team of girls was out on the lake kayaking at 7:15 a.m. one morning. We had caked on the bug spray, but it didn’t seem to make a difference to our desirability to the bugs. The mosquitoes hovered above the water, and every time I stopped paddling to rest my arms, they would land on me. I had forty-five minutes of kayaking to think about this lesson: when you stop moving, you get bitten. God wants us to move forward in seeking Him, and the frustrations in our lives help us not to fall asleep sitting on the lake. Lukewarmness sets you up to get bit by mosquitoes. Keep pressing on, even if your arms are tired. 

3.      It was late at night and I was settling down to go to sleep when I heard the buzzing. “Oh no…” I groaned. It only took a moment of imagining waking up with a dime size mosquito bite on my face before the lights were on and I was armed with the fly swatter. I got it—and another one a few minutes later. As I was drifting off to sleep, I thought of how even little things have great potential to harm us if we let them live. At the retreat we were dealing with lots of big sins, but the little things matter too. Don't just take care of anger, bitterness, and immorality. Deal with complaining, jealousy, laziness, and other "little" sins, or they will bite you while you’re sleeping. And, you can typically only hear the "buzz" when you're quiet. Be still before God and let Him point things out.

4.      While we were unpacking our van after arriving back in Chicago, my arms were full of coats, books, water bottles, trash… and I couldn’t slap the mosquitoes that were landing on me. The lesson: if your arms are full of burdens, you can’t properly deal with trials in your life. You have to release the sin, the expectations, the dreams that keep you from being able to be victorious during the trials in your life. "Cast your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved" (Ps. 55:22).

I'm glad to be back with the cardinals, but I think I've found four good reasons why God made mosquitoes. And while I still find them annoying, I'm now reminded of good things.