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Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created … Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! … Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
–– Psalm 148:5, 7-10, 13
On a recent morning, Donna and I were walking alongside Bryant Farms Road, not far from the Morrison Y across the street. We were taking advantage of the sun’s rare appearance during that long string of waterlogged weeks. On the sidewalk ahead of us, we saw a long black strip, first assuming it to be just one more of the multitude of small tree limbs orphaned by the wind and rain. However, as we took a step or two forward, I revised my assumption, thinking that maybe what we were approaching could be a snake stretched out for some sunbathing. It had the contours of a living thing. Yet, it wasn’t a snake, and I could sense that there was some movement in the thing.
It wasn’t until I was standing over it that my jaw dropped –– What the…! EEUUWW! It wasn’t a stick. It wasn’t a snake. It was a creature right out of Stranger Things. Thousands of tiny larvae, all glommed together, taking the form of a serpent, creeping across the sidewalk! If this was a scene from Stranger Things, the creature would have morphed into a towering monster wreaking such mayhem that only a group of nerdy middle schoolers could subdue it. But this wasn’t Stranger Things, it was Ballantyne, and this slimy caravan was … disgusting. What the…!
Well, thanks to the genius of the iPhone (camera, Google, AI), Donna was able to identify the horror film we were watching. I’ll spare you the video she filmed because you may be eating breakfast, but this oozy maggot caravan was formed by what are known as fungus gnat larvae. Gardeners and greenhouse managers are not on friendly terms with the wee little gnat larvae, as they feed on everything from soybeans to Easter lilies, getting a foothold in the root hairs, marching and munching their way forward from there.
Disturbing? Revolting? Absolutely, and yet at the same time, it was, in a way, awe-inducing. The evolutionary process that fostered the interdependence among a small city of individual organisms, thus allowing them to survive and thrive in the environment to which they were forced to adapt. Even that which we perceive to be repulsive can additionally invoke wonder and praise when considering the viability and adaptability of life in God’s good creation. “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created … Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! … Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
Thoreau said, "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." And so we sing –
He gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well.
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