A young woman who was addicted to drugs developed a paranoia about bugs. Although she had some reason to be wary of bugs—she once contracted Lyme disease from a tick and later experienced a scabies infestation in one of her apartments—her current fears were extreme and unfounded. For example, she was certain that bugs were burrowing into her skin and that lice were making a home in her infant’s ear. Medical examination showed neither to be true, but her delusions persisted.
Sometimes, when God is displeased with our attitudes or approach to life, we will have negative encounters with insects. This may occur in our dreams. We may dream of being chased by spiders or of being covered with small beetles that climb into our nose or ears. At other times they may manifest in our outer life: a pestering fly, a swarm of mosquitoes, or the bee that stings you.
Why does God use insects to communicate His displeasure? Maybe the answer has more to do with us than with God. When we are going against our true nature and intended path, we see God as a nuisance, an annoyance, a pest. The bugs reflect our attitude towards God. The woman above developed her delusions because she was resisting the call of her deeper self, that part of her that wanted her to get off drugs. She saw God as an enemy trying to find a way through her thick skin. God was the voice she didn’t want to hear and therefore was experienced as lice in the ear of her child.
So, the next time you find that a bug is bugging you, perhaps it is because your attitude bugs God.