Ever feel like a dung beetle?

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Let's leave behind the burning questions of mankind and lighten it up a bit.
I began to research dung beetles about a week ago for a children's story that has been banging around in my head. I never imagined I would experience such a kindred spirit with the super strength bug, but I most certainly have.
I am curious if you will feel the same.

Dung Beetle
The dung beetle is a powerful and beneficial bug. They comprise more than 5,000 species and have been doing their thing upon the planet for at least 200 million years. The dung beetle, also known as the scarab beetle, feed partly or exclusively on feces. They appear to spend every waking hour pushing and packing, rolling and stacking the dung of pretty much any kind of animal. They prefer to live in low, dark, and wet environments so they can tunnel into the soil and bury their dung away from others who may desire to steal it. Another fascinating characteristic is the scarab beetle's manipulation of the dung using their back legs. Once getting the ball of dung rolling, the dung beetle will follow a blind and straight line path despite all obstacles.

Then it hit me. "Oh good grief, I'm a dung beetle."
How much of my day is spent blindly pushing and packing, rolling and stacking laundry, dishes, kids toys, groceries, paperwork, bills, lunches, homework, patient schedules, and virtually any household inhabitant's stuff?

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We are just a bunch of dung beetles reorganizing, repainting, cleaning, storing, finding, rearranging all of our... Dung. Then, we have to be certain all of our dung is secure so no one else can come in and steal all of our... Well... Dung. Then I thought, but my dung does not stop at the house and car and laundry and schedule. Human beings have dung balls like our desire for relevance, success, popularity, control, acceptance, titles, power, and respect.

The dung gets so deep you can no longer see the beetle.

"You cannot serve both God and (Dung)" Luke 16:13 (slightly modified)

Anything and everything that separates me from my focus on the Ideal is dung. Whether these are desires which stroke my ego, or stuff that fills my day, any and all dung balls must be managed. This pushing and packing, rolling and stacking can annihilate precious time, energy, and focus away from hearing the still, small voice inside that points me toward my purpose.
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As I finished my research for the story, I came across yet another fascinating bit of history about our beloved little beetle. The scarab beetle enjoyed a sacred status among the ancient Egyptians. Beautifully carved stone scarabs were placed in tombs with the dead because the beetle represented transformation or a changing of form. The dung beetle was linked to the concept of "coming into being."
As Easter approaches, my hope is to allow the death of a dung ball or two so my clear purpose can be resurrected and "come into being."

I'll never be able to look at a dung beetle and not see a little piece of myself.
Please share if this resonates with you and have a beautiful weekend. Michele
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