Summer: A LIVE HELICOPTER

By Ada Brownell

I stopped brushing my teeth long enough to hear the high –pitched hum of an enemy aircraft coming right at me.

I waved my arms hoping to scare it off, but quickly searched for a weapon. A towel was the best I could find and I swung it with all might.

Missed! The flying object went out of sight for a moment, then returned. Immediately I recalled how Christians sometimes complain to God for allowing this persistent enemy to live. Those angry thoughts rattled in my mind as I swung my weapon again and again—and missed.

Periodically I could hear a high-pitched whine as the enemy followed me everywhere.

Suddenly I realized I was trying to get away from an amazing creation. Perhaps it was the prototype for the first mechanical helicopter. I blinked and thought about the size of the thing.

“Lord, you must have had great fun designing that tiny mosquito’s brain,” I said, suddenly in awe. “Lord you are marvelous!”

I’d studied the brain enough to know that tiny insect’s head was crammed with sensory equipment. It was command center for sight for the tiny compound eyes. It governed motion of the all the moving parts, and had sensory information to help the insect find and feed on people and animals. I became so interested I dug into some research.

I discovered the feathery antennae contain sensitive receptors that can detect carbon dioxide in human breath from more than 100 feet, and also detect human sweat.

Next to the antennae is a long serrated mouth used to pierce the skin and suck out blood. Also in there is the proboscis, which holds two tubes, one injects saliva containing an anti-coagulant and a mild pain killer. The other tube draws the blood.

The thorax, or torso is connected to the head. Flight depends on a pair of wings and two small wing-like organs that do the steering (halteres). Six legs attached to the thorax have tiny claws to help the insects hold on to surfaces.

The stomach and lungs are in the abdomen. Small openings draw air into the lungs. In addition, the abdomen holds blood female mosquitoes take in, as well as eggs. A nerve signals when it is full.

Mosquitoes spend their first ten days in water, and despite my desire to see them drown, water is necessary for the larvae to live. If the water evaporates, larvae die.

Despite mosquitoes being such a great example of God’s workmanship, they are more than a menace to humans, causing malaria, encephalitis, Zika, West Nile Virus, dengue and chikungunya—serious diseases.

Yet the pests are examples of God’s supernatural design – a symbol of His love. How special is it that a mosquito emits a shrill warning that it is coming? I consider it a warning like God created similar to the rattles on a poisonous snake, a red spot on a Black Widow Spider, and the roar of a lion.

According to biologists, the buzzing sound of mosquitoes comes from a section of the wings. A comb-like half scrapes against another part whenever the insect flies. Not only do the bugs make noise, but they can hear with an organ in their antennae to recognize other mosquitoes and mate.

The intricate tiny detail God put in the mosquito fascinates me, but I’ll still swat them and use repellant spray.

Things on earth reflect God’s power and glory. So it wasn’t too outlandish to stop chasing the mosquito that night and gasp, “Lord you are wonderful!” God wants us to notice His marvelous works.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

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