What BUGS you?

It's December! Hard to believe that this year, this never-to-be-forgotten year, is coming to a close. 2020 will live in infamy for sure. What a year it's been.

I think it's safe to say we are all pretty much done with The Rona! Yes, there have been some good moments, but I've started to think of this virus as a nagging pest.....you know like a mosquito or a wasp. I've often found myself wondering why God created the mosquito, the wasp, and the skunk.

And then I started wondering about other creatures. Like the porcupine. Why did God create the porcupine?

Here is what I know about the porcupine. If they choose to defend themselves their quills mean serious business - they can penetrate the skin and the more the victim moves, the deeper the penetration. Talk about a massive pest.

But the more I learned about porcupines, the more I realized their usefulness. The Native Americans used their quills to defend themselves. They made arrows out of the quills and even used them for sewing needles.

Is it possible that some things we view as pests, or as a nuisance, or even unnecessary are actually here for an even greater purpose?

If we just look past the nuisance, we are able to see and find a greater purpose. It is all in how we view it.

I believe God gives us nuisances in our life so we can develop the ability to see past them and learn from them. Even, and maybe especially, large-scale pandemic nuisances.

I personally have spent more time than I care to admit letting The Rona bug me. Those were some less-fun times that definitely didn't benefit me or anyone around me. I was hyper-focused on what was wrong with it all. That just made it bug me even more.

I eventually learned that I needed to also spend time viewing it differently. I call this zooming out. Zooming out is taking a look at the bigger picture and not focusing on the nuisance of it.

When I chose to zoom out I was able to expand my view, look past what bugs me, and find the value for me in my life. And if I really zoomed out, I could even see the greater purpose or necessity of it.

Life is going to be full of pests (physical and other - sorry), but we can either focus on them and how obnoxious they are, or we can choose to zoom out. Doing this allows us to see them for the pest they are and even gives us the option to look for their purpose.