FORGETTING ABOUT FIREFLIES
Since being in the Maritimes, I've missed seeing fireflies. Actually, that's not quite true since I basically forgot about fireflies until I saw them again here in Ontario's cottage country. So, to be accurate, I didn't really miss them, I just enjoyed seeing them again so much that I figure I should have missed seeing them! Now I feel guilty for not missing fireflies, which, in the long run, is probably easier on my system then longing for them the twelve years I was in the Maritimes. Hey, I'm actually ahead of the game!
I first realized that I had, or should have, missed fireflies when I and my family were up near Huntsville, Ontario for a few days of R&R. The first evening we were there, they were out in full force. In the almost claustrophobic darkness of the northern night, the fireflies were spectacular beacons as they blinked on and off.
For those of you who enjoy a good firefly show as much as I, here are a few facts you can spring on the unsuspecting at the backyard BBQs you frequent this summer:
Did you know that fireflies aren't really on fire, nor are they really flies? They are, in fact, beetles!
Did you know that fireflies shine their lights on and off as a form of loving communication? Some species actually synchronize their lights with the lights of those around them--kind of like a mini version of Spielberg's "Close Encounters"!
Did you know that only about 10% of the energy expended in light bulbs becomes the visible light we see? The other 90% of the energy is wasted as heat. Fireflies are almost 100% efficient in the light they generate!
There you have it--more than you ever wanted to know about fireflies, but were sensible enough not to ask! Now you can go forth and annoy your entire neighborhood with firefly trivia. But, before you go, let me see if I can throw in a few spiritual applications into this firefly factoring.
The first thing that occurred to me as I stood and gazed at the firefly's finery is that, in the darkness around them, all you see is the light. You don't see the outline of the beetle, you don't see the wings, or legs or their itty-bitty heads--all you see is the light. So, in a way, what we have come to recognize as fireflies, is really only the light God has enabled them to make. We are recognizing the light, not the actual bug.
The Christian application should be pretty obvious. Paul, speaking to the Christians, in Ephesus said: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."(Eph. 5:8-11) Christians are to be fireflies for the Lord. The more we reflect His light; the more people see Christ, and not our own itty-bitty heads, the better it will be for us, and the Church.
Here's a question for you: Are you a Christian light bulb or a Christian firefly? Do you expend 90% of your energy in heat and only 10% in reflecting a Christ-like light, or, is your energy much more focused on shining Christ's light with 100% of your energy? Seems to me we Christians, myself included, generate a lot more heat than light! We are much better at producing fallen friction than Christ-like reflection. Let's all make it our goal to communicate with more light than heat!
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