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The tree of knowledge of good and evil is an interesting allegory for the moral challenges all of us face each day. The story not only captures the attention of Christians, but has permeated secular culture as well. There’s no doubt that it’s an important lesson.
However, even though the preceding verse is no less the word of God, it gets less attention. It’s where God takes man into the Garden of Eden and tells him it’s his job to take care of it. It’s our job as the creations of the Lord to look after what he put on earth.
How are We Doing?
A cursory look around the world really shows how much we as the caretakers of God’s green earth aren’t really paying as much attention to this particular responsibility. Of course, the idea isn’t to go to the opposite extreme and become so protective of nature that we can’t exercise the free will we have been given. There’s something else, a small detail that often escapes us.
It’s kind of hard to care about God’s creatures when one of them is buzzing around and intent on sucking your blood. It’s a common question among children and adults: why did God make mosquitoes? I could use any pest as an example, but mosquitoes seem to be everywhere.
Is It a Test?
A simple response would be that God works in mysterious ways, and that they are there to test our faith by being a challenge. At least that’s the standard response when someone doesn’t know God’s plan and doesn’t want to admit it.
Of course, only God can know His plan, so there shouldn’t be any shame in admitting, “I don’t know.” Well, I don’t! But here’s the thing: the logic behind questioning why God created mosquitoes is rather selfish: They bother me, so why did God make something that annoys me?
Do Unto Others
Well, you and I are not the center of the universe; God is. More specifically, God created a wonderfully diverse ecology and put us in charge of preserving it for Him. It’s not up to us to judge what deserves to be taken care of and what isn’t.
On the other hand, that doesn’t mean we should let them run rampant. As the caretakers of the Earth, we have to keep each species in its place. Just because God created it, it doesn’t mean He wants it to annoy us and give us diseases. Swatting them when they bite, putting out the best mosquito traps, protecting ourselves and our loved ones from disease are all examples of keeping mosquitoes where they belong.
The bottom line is that Earth is not supposed to be a paradise; it’s what we endure before we get there. And on Earth, we’ve got a job to do, part of which involves dealing with pests like mosquitos.
Michelle is a blogger and freelancer. She’s written about almost every topic under the sun, from
mosquito traps to private investigators, and loves constantly learning about new subjects and
industries while she’s writing. Whenever she’s able to step away from her computer she enjoys
spending time outdoors with her dogs.
