Strength from Thorns

Natures Sound Machine

I think night time is the hardest whether in illness, grief, a divorce, financial situation or even if life is going great. The quieter it gets in the room the louder everything gets in my head. I wake up from a sound sleep at 2:31am almost every night. That is also when my body hurts the most. Last night I recorded what I call “natures sound machine.” The bugs and frogs can get so loud out there. To some, it may be annoying, but to me, I find them quite comforting. If your thoughts wont turn off during the night, open your windows and really listen. Your mind set will begin to shift and you will get directed right back to Jesus and the miracle of this earth that HE has created, so meticulously, so perfectly. I googled“ Why frogs and bugs are so loud at night?” Google says

“The Mating Call

The overwhelming majority of the noise you hear is made by males singing to attract females. 

Male frogs puff up their throat pouches like balloons to amplify their unique “advertisement” calls. Each frog species has its own specific call so they don’t attract the wrong species.

Insects like crickets and katydids make noise through a process called “stridulation,” which involves rubbing specialized parts of their bodies (like their wings or legs) together. 

Safety in the Dark
Many predators that rely on vision (like hawks and snakes) hunt during the day. Singing exposes these males to danger, so they wait until the sun goes down to begin their calling safely under the cover of darkness.” – Google

It’s incredible to me how each sound, each creature, was created with and for a purpose. No matter how big or small it may seem on the outside, every part of that creature, every sound it makes, was created with intention and woven perfectly into creation exactly as God designed.

I’m in a “stuck season,” and if I’m honest, sometimes it’s hard to envision this ever going away. Sometimes I wonder if my life is becoming meaningless. I sit inside all day either fighting pain… or fighting the mental battle of staying still so I don’t cause pain.

So often I ask myself, What is the point of my life? What purpose could possibly come from this?

I say this with a heavy heart because right now, this is my Goliath, overcoming this illness and finding meaning in this immense suffering. How do I go and make disciples of “all nations” (Matthew 28:19) when I can’t even leave my bed?

But strangely, being “stuck” in this house has made me appreciate creation more than ever before. The birds, the frogs, even the insects. Sometimes I sit and listen to them and think… if Jesus created a purpose for something as small as a beetle, then somewhere in this enormous world, there has to be purpose for me too.

I thought about how funny it is that when the dark hits us, we feel vulnerable, heavy and some of us are even “afraid of the dark” but for nature it’s the opposite, they come alive the moment darkness falls. The frogs actually sing at night because that’s when they feel the safest. I want to stop being afraid of the dark and start focusing on the fact that seeds and roots grow in the dark, the stars can only shine because of the dark and Jesus does his deepest work in those unforeseen places, the darkness.

For the amount of pain that I have endured, I KNOW that Jesus will never waste it and there is a testimony on the other side that will be shouted for all nations to hear.

HIS purpose WILL prevail in my suffering and in yours.

• • •