Summer is here! Well, actually summer officially begins on Tuesday, June 21st, the longest day of the year. Summer is my second favorite season (I like spring the best). On early summer afternoons you can still take a walk and see flowers blooming, hear birds singing and not sweat too much. Early summer also brings things I don’t enjoy about this season. I don’t enjoy the air conditioner running nonstop, getting into a hot car and June bugs. According to Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:” (NRSVUE). I understand that it is hot in the summertime, and I am thankful that I have A/C and a car but…. why are there June bugs and what purpose do they serve?
I googled them to see if they were good for anything other than causing a person hysteria when they crash land in your hair or fall down the back of your shirt. From the website theconversation.com, I found the answer to my question of why.
Although many people find June bugs unsettling, they play an important role in helping nutrients cycle through ecosystems. By chowing down on grass roots, June bugs concentrate nutrients into juicy (larva) and crunchy (adult) calorie-rich packages that are consumed by a variety of other organisms.
June bugs are a rich source of protein (40 to 50 per cent) and fat (seven to 18 per cent). Many wild animals such as skunks, raccoons and several bird species consume June bugs across all stages of their life cycle.
My dog Crosby loves them!
So, June bugs do have a purpose for their season and time. This made me wonder about our purpose in this season, what is it? In John 13:34-35 Jesus says "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” In The Book of Confessions, the first question of The Shorter Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man?" The answer is "to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." The love commandment from Jesus and the catechism question don't exactly say the same thing but definitely tell us our purpose for each day, for each season. In each of the four seasons, June bugs have a different purpose in what they are to do to become the annoying bug of early summer. I believe we, as human beings, have one purpose for all seasons: To love one another as Jesus loves us and by doing this we will glorify God and enjoy him forever.