Three Very Important Lessons Learned From A Night Of Hell

My son will never remember the time that his mom and I stayed awake most of the night trying desperately to make sure the mosquitoes didn’t get to him. Some did, but he was spared the worst because of our vigilance. This experience taught me three valuable lessons, which I have listed below.

He was about two years old then. We had gone on vacation to Jamaica – my homeland. We were staying at some friends home in one of the major cities of the country – Montego Bay. This was close to the coastline but also at the foot of the mountains. Needless to say it was very hot both in the day and at night. There was no air conditioning. It was one of the most miserable nights of our lives because of the heat and the mosquitoes. Not a good combination.

We tried to put a makeshift tent over the bed using the sheet, to keep the mosquitoes out. There were no screens on the windows so they had free reign in and out of the room. The flip side is that some mosquitoes were kept out but those that made it in, stayed in. It was simply a hellish experience.

Our son was not able to fend for himself so he would cry when bit by the mosquitoes. We felt very overwhelmed and at times helpless. There were moments I choked up as I watched him sweating, moving around to get comfortable, while crying from the discomfort. We stood watch over him fending off mosquitoes while fanning him to keep him cool. He was totally oblivious of this because of his age.

He didn’t know he was being closely watched over by us.

I too sometimes, am unaware of how closely God watches over me. One of the major difference is that he doesn’t get overwhelmed or flustered. It’s so comforting and reassuring to know that, “The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.” (Psalms 121:5 NLT)

Here are the valuable lessons I have now learned from our experience that I truly didn’t learn then and was in no mood to learn at that time. I have learned that I reflect the image of God when I was able to display a:

1. Protective nature
2. Providing nature
3. Sacrificial nature

I would say that life has many lessons to teach us if we take the time to look for them. I am doing that more.

What other lessons do you see here or have learned from an experience that might have had similar overtones? Comment in the box below. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.