My Beloved Mosquito Net

I have been in Tchad for over a month now. I have become accustomed to many different things, one of them being bugs. I still have a few minor freak outs, however, most times insects don't faze me. I have seen, and killed, many bugs and as a result am now pretty confident of my insect-killing capabilities. 

Maybe I got a little too comfortable, or cocky. Whatever you want to call it. But, I began reading outside of my net. In the past, I would dive straight under my mosquito net, where I knew there were no bugs. However, if you aren't lying down, my cot can be very uncomfortable.  I hate reading laying down. This means that as soon as I enter my hut, I go to sleep. (I was going to sleep at 8pm every night!!) While under the net, I would try to read, or do something else, only to give up in frustration. That is why I was very happy to have acquired insect-killing techniques, making me no longer scared. Sitting outside of my mosquito net was glorious! It was so spacious and comfortable-- I could do anything I wanted now. (Within reason of course). 

One fateful night, I was sitting outside of my mosquito net reading. I turned to grab some paper and saw a centipede sitting not even a foot away. (That is the poisonous one right? Whichever one is the poisonous, scary looking one, THAT was what was sitting next to me). Thank God I have learned to stifle my screams. I quickly got up and looked for something to kill it with. All I had was my 100% deet insect repellent that doesn't work as well as I thought it would. (I don't even wear insect repellent anymore because the bugs here are on another level). I prayed that the insect repellent would be useful now, even if only for this.

It may not repel insects as well as I would like, but it sure does kill them quickly. I doused the centipede with the insect repellent, prepared to run if it tried to attack me.  It helplessly jumped and wiggled around and finally died in a stiff, circumflex position. I gave a sigh of relief and tried to get comfortable once again. But a frog came bounding in my direction. I jumped as high as the frog did. I still don't understand why I was so afraid of the frog. (I am still afraid of these frogs. Just a small side note...The guys and I had another incident that reflected the cockroach incident from the "Nasaras and Bugs" post. Except, I wasn't the hero this time, one of the Bere boys was). I was so riled up that I climbed back into my mosquito net. There was no way of getting rid of the frog. 

All in all, I had an epiphany about my mosquito net. My mosquito net is very essential for this trip.  Of course it does the obvious things, like keep the malaria infested mosquitoes out. (Well, all the mosquitoes out). Even people in America understand that beauty of that concept. However, this trip has rocked my world.  Things as simple as a mosquito net are seen in a new light. I have obtained a more full and meaningful understanding of things that matter even more than my simple mosquito net.

The mosquito net has become my protector. Every morning, when I wake up, there is a ring of insect corpses around my cot, and mouse poop above my head. Although I slept peacefully in my cot, there was a war taking place outside my mosquito net. Sometimes I will wake up and see (or hear) the battles, but I am always comforted by my net.  It always keeps the bad things out. Without fail, my mosquito net always wins the fight. 

To be honest, every once in a while a cricket or two gets inside my net. Yeah, it sucks. It can be very difficult, but they are small compared to the dead bugs I find outside of my net. Like God, my mosquito net helps me through those struggles. 

That's just it. God does so much in our lives. Some things are seen (or heard), but most things aren't. We get so caught up with the crickets -- the small trials and struggles in life -- we forget that God is carrying us through the storm. He meets us in our suffering, wrapping His loving arms around us.

"Not everything we got through has a purpose, but we can be purposeful in everything we go through. Not everything has a reason, but there is a reason to get through everything." (I forget where I found this quote. I think it's from Ellen G. White). James 1:2-4 says that we should be happy for the trials in life. Suffering produces endurance (or patience, like it says in the Bible), and endurance gives shape to your character.  When life becomes more than we can handle, we can rest in God. He can handle what we can't, helping us through our stuggles. When we emerge from the storm clouds, we will be changed people. People who reflect the character of Christ more and more each day.  

***Thanks Taleah for making me reexamine scripture. Loved the article by the way.