Wood Ticks

“Test me, O LORD, and try me,
   examine my heart and my mind;”

~Psalm 26:2 NIV 1984

Here in the north central part of the country spring brings not only relief from long, cold winters but also the dreaded Wood Tick.  In my entire life fewer times than I have fingers and toes I have found a tick on my person and only once that I remember was the devilish creature actually imbedded.  So my life has never been sincerely threatened by this tiny bug that is barely 1/4 centimeter in size yet it puts terror in my heart that surpasses any impending disaster including Armageddon.

 

One morning recently I got up, got dressed, dropped the kids off at school and headed out to visit a friend of mine and her elderly mother which I do regularly. My friend and I comfortably lounge over coffee and conversation until she needs to get ready for work and I stay and spend time with her mother. While we are talking I’m watching my friend’s face distort into something that can only be described as sheer terror and she is looking at me---or more accurately at my hair. At that precise moment I could feel the hair near the side of my face moving. She was forming the words, “Hold still” when I shot up out of the recliner and flailed my arms and jumped around like I was on fire.  “Hold still”?! You’ve got to be kidding! There’s no way I will ever hold still when some blood-sucking or other creepy crawly critter is hitching a ride upon the USS Becky. Of course I whacked the dreaded infidel off my head but then we didn’t know what it was or where it was. Had I remained still and let my friend pluck it out of my hair our worries would have been over. As it was she had to go to work and I would be left there to comb the floor and furniture since my friend has three cats that she preferred not be victims if the unwanted visitor was indeed a tick. I have very good Tick Vision and searched high and low for any maimed or stunned insects trying to recover. Whatever the demon creature was it was nowhere to be found. I assumed I had killed it and settled back down to focus on making breakfast. Over an hour later I was back in the recliner drinking my warmed up coffee and I felt a tickle inside my shirt. I had to look---I didn’t want to but I had to---and confirmed the presence of a tick CRAWLING UP MY CHEST! Again with the bolting out of the chair but this time with a tick pinched between my fingers and me running wildly to the bathroom to flush the little devil down the toilet. I still get the heebie jeebies thinking about it.

The best part about all this was watching my friend’s face contort into a face of horror and knowing instinctively it was something about me that caused her such a reaction. I appreciate that she was looking out for me and was even willing to personally remove the offensive creature. But I didn’t let her and it literally came back to bite me.

I thank God for blessing me with His Word that shows me any offensive sin in my life. I thank God for my Savior who lovingly and completely removed all sin. I thank God for the Holy Spirit who continues to protect and prepare me when I hold still and let Him do his work within me. I thank God for the friends He has blessed me with who know me and look out for me. I’m not really thankful for wood ticks but I can accept they are part of God’s creation and I will just do my best to keep my distance.