Mosquitos and Life

The morning light peeked over and through the mist covered trees like a camera-shy beast of prey. The sun was not quite ready to make an appearance, yet already the day was beginning to shake off the slightly refreshing cool of the night. Although I had been sleeping inside our own house complete with doors and window screens unlike most of the natives, I still awoke in my cocoon. By day it was hung up above the bed, but it was nightly put in place with all the care of a spider spinning an intricate web. Mosquito nets are not used by all who live in our town, but the common sight of a tiny red volcano elevated above the skin reminds us that we are in the jungle, and that mosquitos are equal opportunity eaters. What actually first awoke me from my slumber was the noise of a small winged aircraft that seemed to increase in volume as it approached my ear. It was the sound of a tiny insect eager for my life-giving blood. I slapped at the mosquito in my pre-coffee stupor, but then quickly awoke to zero in on the offending party, and make an end of it. How had it got in the mosquito net? Unfortunately sometimes one of our children would come lift the protection during the night, or we would have to get up to attend to them, and the sneaky winged intruder would make a move. As I palm-swatted the mosquito I noticed with chagrin that it left a red stain. My first thought after noting the blood was: what a dumb bug! This mosquito had paid for a few hours of indulgence with his own life. Had it known that things would end this way, maybe the decision to enter our apparent sanctuary would have been different? More sobering: how many people trade life and peace for sorrow and death? What percentage of the world is so focused on temporal pleasures that they never think about the eternal? How could people be so consumed with what they can get now they don´t consider the long term effects on their own souls? Unfortunately even as Christians we often choose temporary satisfaction over eternal rewards. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 says ¨I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."