Bug-a-boo

As it gets colder outside and inside of my house - which is apparently the nexus of insect life on Earth - I'm noticing more bugs invading my personal space. It occurred to me, as I was swatting uselessly at a gnat, that he wasn't trying to annoy me. He was cold and dying.

The gnat was just trying to stay alive. He understood that the cold, harsh environment that is my home is not conducive to his continued existence. So, he needed to seek out any source of heat he could find. His instinctual impulse brought him to me. At 98.6 degrees, I am often the warmest thing in the room.

My next thought was naturally of God and his people. The Bible speaks of our light and our love, and the way they will draw people to us and ultimately to him. Sort of like gnats.

We can all agree that our world is kind of cold and harsh. In and of itself, our world is not conducive to prolonged, abundant life. It is only God's light in this dark world that brings us joy and peace and hope and love. He is the source of our life.

We reflect that light as Christ dwells in us. Inside of us is the Life and the Light that everyone needs. So we can't be annoyed or surprised or unprepared when, every so often, some cold and dying person is drawn to our light and warmth.

Well, we can and I often am. But, we shouldn't be.

Really, we should take it as a compliment. It just means that this person has recognized that we are the warmest thing in the room.