That moment every parent dreads is when you see a wasp INSIDE your home. Last week we were eating lunch and noticed one sitting on the inside of our screen door. I quickly shut the glass and ran around through the other door to our porch and opened the screen in hopes of the wasp flying out.
It was stuck about halfway over on the screen and initially sat there stunned from the sudden movement. Then it spun around in a few circles (trying to get his bearings perhaps??) and started walking up and to the right towards freedom.
My son was fascinated by this wasp so we sat and watched it walk along our screen. It walked about 3 inches and stopped. flapped his wings a bit and started walking back towards where it had been. He stopped in almost the exact place he’d just left and started walking directly upright. By this point we’d turned it into an event. We were cheering for the wasp, directing the wasp and even tried putting our hand on the window to make it look like the path was blocked (this worked but the wasp started walked down instead of to the sides and then just stayed put when we tried to block the downward descent!)
It took this thing almost an hour of going the wrong direction, flying back and forth between the screen and the glass and twice going almost to the end and then turning around. Finally the wasp made a grand exit and flew away.
As I watched this wasp I was feeling frustrated for it and annoyed that it couldn’t listen to me. At one point while my son and I were both sitting on our living room chairs watching it struggle, I suddenly realized that this must be exactly how God feels with us. I realized how frustrated God must get with us sometimes. The clear path is off to the side and seems blindingly obvious to someone getting the whole picture. But to those of us who are stuck and trapped it is anything but obvious.
We keep going in circles and the wrong direction. God stands there and directs us but how often do we choose not to listen? He is shouting encouragement and getting frustrated that we’re taking it into our own hands! I don’t know, maybe it’s funny to learn such a lesson from a wasp… however, I’ve found myself coming back to it several times over the last week. We have some big decisions to make and I keep finding myself pausing and asking if I am stuck on that screen or if I am listening. God gives us his Holy Spirit to guide us and prompt us, to direct us and show us the way and to encourage us towards hope and a better future. Sometimes we just need a little bit of reminder for how to tune in.
I hope I will always listen but I know I won’t. More often than I not I say “I know what I’m doing, I don’t need help.” Ha! Famous last words right? So why do I keep doing it over and over again? I pray that I would not get trapped in trying to do it myself but pause, trust and listen. I hope you can learn to do so too.
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