A Lesson From Bugs?!

The preschoolers at my job are sort of obsessed with bugs. We have about a dozen “bug catchers”, which are plastic containers that have a little magnifying glass. They are quite a high demand toy.

It’s funny because the kids pick up those gross little bugs- and carry them around for hours. They will show anyone who will look.

I’m not a fan of bugs (ha, SUCH an understatement!) but I try to be brave for my kiddies. When they ask me to look- I try to be fascinated. When they ask/beg me to touch- I tell them to go ask another teacher!

They help each other look for the good bugs, which are beetles, ladybugs, worms, and anything with wings. Sometimes they put grass in the containers so the bugs will have a snack. Sometimes they cry when the bug escapes. I usually say the bug just wants to find his Mommy out in the grass. Sometimes that stops the tears.

One day in particular, a little girl came up to me with a frown on her cute little face. She had an empty container in her hands. I gave her the usual speech: “The bugs like to hide in the sidewalk cracks and in the grass. Look there first. And ask your friend to help you look.”

Countless times I’ve told the kids this.

She tells me that she looked already and couldn’t “find no bugs.” Her face is sad, eyes about to water. She plops down next to me and complains that she won’t EVER find a bug. It’s just too hard.

I tell her softly that maybe she was looking in the wrong places and that maybe she gave up too fast. And then the hard truth. She won’t ever find a bug if she just sits here and whines about it. I hug her, and encourage her to stand up and look again. Look carefully.

And then, for a split second, I realize how foolish I’ve been. I look for God, in all the places I expect to find Him. Church. The Bible. Worship. Quiet time. And yes, God is there. 

Yet, sometimes I feel like He isn’t. 

And now I see that I’ve been going about this all wrong.

We look for God. 

We give up. 

We go sit. We whine. 

We claim we looked, but it’s just too hard and we won’t EVER find Him.

But He is omnipresent. Everywhere.

The girl gets up, disappears. Totally committed to finding that bug. 

And then, a few moments later, she catches one- a good one.

You see, we have to seek Him. We have to seek Him with everything inside of us- and then we’ll see that He is indeed, all around. He IS in those places, but He is inside of us too. We have to stop whining and complaining.

So just like that little preschooler, who decided to get up and get looking, we have to decide that we’re going to stop talking about seeking God- and actually do it. 

Actually, really and truly, seek Him.

He’s all around, wanting to be found.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 

I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. 

~ Jeremiah 29:13-14a