Firefly flash

We were in the middle of nature, but you could have fooled us. It felt as though we were at a concert in the Target Center, and everyone around us was taking pictures with their camera.

My friend and I stood 20 to 30 yards away from our campsite/fire to take in the brilliant flashing of hundreds of fireflies in the dark of the night. Sparkles everywhere!

The questions started coming...how the heck do they light up? What exactly happens in their bodies? Do both guy and girl fireflies light up? Is it only during certain times of the summer that they are strong?

So I, of course, looked it up. In addition to learning that fireflies are a form of beetle and that their average lifespan is two months, I discovered that they take in oxygen through special cells. These then combine with a special substance already in the fireflies—lucifern. And when they mix, they can create light without any heat. What’s so crazy is that the light of fireflies looks so man-made. Like the fluorescent necklaces you can buy at outdoor events or the color your white shirt turns when you’re at a bowling alley with a black light. Or the flash of your cell phone camera. Maybe it’s the other way around though. Those necklaces actually look like fireflies, I just haven’t been spending enough time in nature to realize this.

Also crazy is that supposedly scientists haven’t quite figured out the purpose—the method to the madness—of the light flashing. Fireflies do light up in certain patterns, which is most likely for mating purposes. Boys trying to pick up girls. Others think though that the light may signify some sort of defense mechanism. One website I read said “the exact theory has yet to be worked out.”

I kind of like the mystery. We don’t know exactly why or what prompts fireflies to flash. It’s also really hard to keep track of them. Suddenly...FLASH...and then dark again. You can’t see 'em. Where did it go? As my friend and I stood silent (until one of us had another question), a firefly would light two feet away and then...gone. (The flashes, are they all from different fireflies? Or is it the same three guys just trying really hard to impress the same three girls?)

Donald Miller in his book Blue Like Jazz (which you should read if you haven’t) says that wondering is the greatest worship of God. What a great relief because I wonder an awful lot. I wonder about the things around me. I wonder why stuff happens. I wonder what God’s up to. I wonder about God’s relationship to us. I wonder about fireflies. And it seems no matter how much research, how much school, how much time is spent wondering...we will continue to wonder about some things. But that’s what’s so great. That’s why my friend and I stood for a long time watching the fireflies. It would have grown boring quickly if they were all lit up the whole time, and we could see them plain as day. Likewise, we’re drawn to God (with questions), and His exact plan has yet to be worked out.