Title The Lady Bug

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated by ladybugs. Under the shady roof of Mom’s fragrant, towering lilac bushes, a virtual ladybug play land existed right in my own backyard. I could sit for hours on the cool ground just watching them. Hidden from view, the ladybugs crawled from branches to shiny leaves, intent on completing their unspoken tasks.

I would take a leaf and nudge a ladybug to step onto it and then transfer the ladybug to another leaf; they always seemed willing to play my games. I never minded when one walked across my arm – it actually tickled. Not being partial to most insects, I was pleased I had found one I liked.

I imagine most children, at least those with a yard, have spent time playing with ladybugs, letting them crawl on their hands. It’s bright orange back with black dots seems friendly and not at all scary like many other bugs or insects. We did not even resist when Mom asked us to catch ladybugs and put them in a jar and take them over to the garden and to the roses so they could eat the aphids. It was fun to have a reason, a project, to catch the ladybugs and put them to work. I often wondered if they considered the aphids their dessert. They certainly seemed to enjoy their job!

There is a French poem in the form of a ladybug’s prayer to God I ran across in a little volume of French poems. The end of the ladybug prayer is this,

Thank you for having made me So that no one is afraid of me; A little toy, A penny toy, A mite of comfort and laughter. By Carmen Bernos de Graztold

As I thought about the gentle ladybug, I chuckled at God’s sense of humor. He knew the delight we would find in this friendly little, orange button-bug.

I wonder how many other creatures or plants God created just for us to enjoy. Some look weird, some do funny antics, and some eat in a strange manner.

Then, of course, God made people – perhaps the most amusing creature of all! As we sense how ludicrously inept we are at times, along with King David in Psalm 136:3-4, we must humbly say, “We give thanks to You, oh Lord of Lords, to You who does great wonders….and who gives food to every creature….We give thanks to the God of heaven.”

Prayer: Father, Yes, You made all of the wonderful creatures on earth including human beings…the most amazing creature of all. We give thanks to You, the God of Heaven. Amen