The Severed Wasp

George Orwell once wrote an essay where he described a picnic lunch where a wasp landed on his plate and began sucking up some strawberry jam. Orwell then took his knife and cut the wasp in half. To his surprise, the insect “paid no attention and merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did the wasp grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him.”

Friends, there is indeed a parallel between that wasp and many people in our world today. Because of their rebellion against God, because they choose to reject His grace offered in Jesus Christ, these folks are severed from spiritual life. Their souls are empty, yet most of these people seem totally unaware that anything is wrong. They greedily consume the sweet things in life. They ignore the fact that no matter how much they consume they are never really getting filled. Only when the time comes to fly away, in other words, only when they face the reality of death, do they grasp how dreadful their condition really is.

Over the years, I have talked to many people who focus on maximizing their personal comfort and convenience. Their goal is to simply enjoy life while they can. They value success in a career and accumulating wealth because they believe these are the things which will enable them to find happiness. They attempt to fill their lives with sports, hobbies, fine food and drink, music, entertainment, and sexual pleasure. They have, however, no room or time for God. Though they usually do not profess to be atheists, in practical terms their normal pattern is to simply ignore God.

There are two huge problems with this way of life. First, the happiness which is being sought is never really found. Yes, many of the “sweet things of life” taste good, but they really do not provide the satisfaction for which we as human beings long. There are a lot of cheap thrills, a lot of temporary exhilaration, but no solid joy for those who seek to live life apart from God.

Secondly, as death approaches, it becomes clear that these various paths that people take to find happiness apart from God are really dead ends. When someone receives the news that he or she has a terminal disease and that death is imminent, there is only one question that really matters: What happens next? The harsh reality is that, without God, there is no answer to that question which brings any hope.

The good news, friends, is that God graciously offers hope and joy both in this life and the next to all who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Bible tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but will have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Don’t be content to keep sucking up the sweet things in life which will never really fill you. Turn to the Lord Jesus and experience the true life which only He can give.