Even when we fall, we can find hope

The other day I noticed in the dirt near my back deck several little downward slanting funnels. I immediately knew that I have a particular insect in residence – antlions.  The adult antlion looks a lot like damselflies, with their slender bodies and delicate wings.  But the larvae are another story. The antlion larvae, also called doodlebugs in the U.S., are thick bodied with large, sickle shaped pinchers. The larvae construct slanting funnels in the sand or fine dirt that other insects like ants come upon, sliding down the slope to the bottom where the antlion waits. To see an antlion catch its prey you need to film it in slow-motion. One second you see the falling ant, the next second it is gone!  

There have been times in my life when I have felt like an ant falling down into a funnel and into awaiting, devouring jaws. I have fallen into poor health and poor finances. I have fallen into grief. For a brief period, I fell into a place where I had no official residence. Sometimes when I fall, I can feel myself falling and try to pull myself up before it is too late. Other times, I am down at the bottom of the pit before I realize what is happening.

Yet, even when we fall, whether it be as a consequence of something we have done, or if it be due to the randomness of life, we can still find comfort and hope. During the slide down, at the bottom of the pit, or in the jaws of destruction, we are not alone. God is with us. No matter what life throws our way, remember we have been redeemed by God’s son, Jesus. Thus we have the hope – we have the assurance – that the darkness the envelopes us will pass because we live in the light of Christ’s mercy and love.

 “He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and my life shall see the light.” — Job 33:38

The Rev. Karen Dumey is the pastor of Hunter Memorial First Presbyterian Church in Sikeston.