When I hear the word ‘Moth’ I first think of smelly mothballs from decades ago, tucked into boxes of clothes put away for winter. Why mothballs? Because moths munch holes in clothes. I also think of them flying head on to self-destruction in a bug zapper. What I did NOT know was how interesting they are and the purpose God meant for them to serve. IF they keep their bug eyes on the right light! (you can SEE where this is headed.)
Purpose Of The Moth
First, I want to tell you about their cool purpose. Maybe YOU knew this; I however did NOT. Moths are as important as bees. What? Yes. They pollinate flowers and plants. Pollen is in essence, plant sperm, and bees and moths are carriers of this. Bees as we know, are SO important to the pollination of plants and flowers. However, it is interesting to note that bees tend to zero in on the most fertile pollen sources. Moths? They leave no plant or flower behind. They actually pollinate plants unattended by the bees. WE as humans learn from their unbiased way of treating others. They don’t pick and choose who they should help. Their purpose is their purpose, and they embrace it without reservation or complaint.
Second, moths work at night – by the light of the moon. How cool is that!? Moths are part of the lifegiving process by their pollination, and plants that receive pollination are then able to reproduce. The goal of EVERY living thing is to reproduce. For example, moths use the moonlight as a compass, but because its light is so far away it demands that the moth stays in a straight line pattern. The moon is symbolic of eternity and immortality (think on THAT for a while). With such an important job in their bug DNA, how do they end up dead in bug zappers? It really is the whole moth drawn to light concept – fatal attraction.
The Moth Attracted To Light
The light that moths attract to is artificial, such as the flame of a fire, light bulbs, and the death sentence of lighted bug zappers. One theory surrounding this is NOT that they are actually attracted to it, but more that they are disoriented by it. To be disoriented means to be confused. A confused moth doesn’t know where it is going and loses its sense of direction. The more disoriented, the more the artificial light becomes all-inclusive with a hypnotic effect. Artificial light heat radiation imitates “Moth pheromone-chemicals released by insects to attract mates.” Because artificial lights confuse a bug’s navigational system, they must focus on the light of the moon, or they are entranced in the glow of the artificial light.
So as a human, how to escape this moth fate? How do we become a ‘moth boss’? The moon – let’s say that is symbolic of the light/nature/heart of Christ. Jesus said He is the light of the world and if we follow Him we will NEVER have to walk in darkness (John 8:12). He is our steady one, who keeps us steady on in our own night seasons. You could say He is our LIGHT on. Keep your eyes on the true light. Jesus IS the light of the world. Don’t let artificial lights fool you (even the expensive ones, the LED artificial lights…) It is either pure light, or it is not. There is NO in-between.
Look Straight Ahead
He tells us not to look to the right or to the left. Don’t pay any mind to the artificial lights along the sidelines. They will fry you or eat you. So to speak. “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” (Proverbs 4:25-27) All those shining, glowing, captivating beautiful lights that call out to your inner self that are prone to preferring the artificial to the real, need to one by one be avoided. “Let your Yay be Yay, and your Nay be Nay.” (Matthew 5:37)
God help us as humans to learn to be strong enough to just flip some OFF switches to the artificial lights. Delete. Block. Extinguish. Annihilate. Slay. We embrace our truest purpose, we are wise enough to CHOOSE pure and authentic, and be abhorred (disgusted, turned off) by the artificial.
Choose Christ
Finally, I think it is really a matter of the heart – to choose Christ. As a result, my own similar purpose (like a moth) is to focus on the Light (Jesus) to serve my purpose in the night season; the season where I pollinate flowers. As I said earlier, the goal for EVERY single living being IS pollination, which simply means creating offspring for the next generation. WE DO NOT LIVE ONLY FOR OURSELVES. I don’t want my legacy to be – on her final descent she flew head on straight into a bug zapper. Not when the light of the moon is still there, has never moved or changed, and will lead me home. And I can lead generations home too.
