Storytime with Keagan and Charity! Join Charity as she invites us to consider how the lives of cicadas can be a reminder of our relationship with Jesus. We hope you enjoy “Lessons from the Lives of Cicadas!”
This year was the 17th year…
This meant our orange-eyed, oval-winged, and outrageous screaming friend the cicada made its appearance. Some areas are not as blessed with the joys of this insect as others but let me tell you Miamisburg, Ohio, was hit, and it was hit HARD!!
Mowing our little yard turned into a battle ground! At least you would think because of the screaming and dive bombing of these little creatures. They came from all angles, flying into my face, hair, arms, legs, and abdomen. They were relentless.
One of my dear friends and I could not even walk at a park because these insects were so active and loud. We were yelling to hear each other!
At night, the cicada chorus would finally take a break and in the silent bliss we slept. In the morning, I would find more had climbed onto our porch and left their shed skin for me to sweep off. And that was my morning routine for about 3 weeks.
Our small town felt like it was plagued by these creatures. Under every tree, you would find piles of cicada skins and hear them singing and screaming their melody.
One day, I was walking back from the library and heard a screaming in my ear. I panicked because I thought it was a child! I looked over and saw a cicada flying alongside me and realized it was just trying to seduce me with its mating call!! That was a first…
Cicadas have about a six-week life span. They are now passed, and life goes on as it did before. It is funny how what was once the talk of the town is now an afterthought.
Even though the cicadas were an annoyance, I came to see their beauty. God reminded me of many truths through the six-week life of this creature. Truths that are imperative if you want an intimate and full relationship with the Father.
To fully appreciate the beauty of the cicada you must know some basic facts. I am no expert, but from the research I have done this is what I know.
The species that comes out every 17 years in hoards only live above ground for about 6 weeks. They eat the juices of plants, and their screaming is actually a mating call (Keagan…don’t get any ideas, babe 😊). While cicadas are above ground, they lay eggs that hatch and the larva then burrow into the ground where they eat tree root juice and mature for the next 17 years! Then they crawl out of the ground and begin the process again.
Before Christ, we were like larva underneath the ground. We were lost looking for a way to the top of the earth, looking for oxygen to fill our lungs. We could not find it so Christ came underneath. He came into our darkness to pull us out. He laid in our grave. He experienced what we experienced.
Separation.
Desperation.
His hand extends toward us… we only have to grasp it.
Jesus has pulled us up from the grave—up from shame, up from doubt, up from guilt. He has placed us on solid ground.
Christ has done the saving work. Once we accept His invitation and grab His hand, He pulls us up from our grave into a new life. The life we were created to live. But that is not where it stops. There is more that He has given us. More that He wants us to know and experience…
Next week, I will look at the next phase of the cicada’s life and we will discover more of all that Jesus has given us through His death. (Don’t miss it!)
For now, whether you believe in Jesus or not I pray that God has touched your heart afresh with His Love. That a creature as small as a cicada can remind you just how much the Father loves you and just how much He has done so you can know him.
Not just knowledge about Him but experiences with Him.
He is after our hearts. He has paid the highest price for us to know Him. May we strive to never reject all that He wants to give.
May we never get too busy to stop and remember and rejoice in what He has done.
Author:
Hello! I’m the C to KC & Co! My name is Charity, and I am so excited you are checking out our site and blog. My deepest desire is that God will use the words on this blog to encourage, strengthen and deepen your love for Jesus. Read more of my writing here.
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