Wimpy had taught me a positive lesson actually”about how to respond when difficult situations are thrown at us.
By Nigar
You must have heard the term ‘sting operation’ in the media. Okay, but the ‘sting operation’ I am sharing with you here has nothing to do with any of that sort of thing!
It’s to do with a cute little wasp that was buzzing around in the backyard of the house where I live.
One sun-filled morning, as I was simply looking at the creepers growing on the fence, I felt a piercing sting on my elbow! Oooh ahhhhh oouch! Turning around I saw a little wasp happily buzzing off after it had done its “sting operation” on me! It looked so naughty and I thought it was having a great giggle after having done!
Wimpy”which is what I named the wasp”had taught me a positive lesson actually”about how to respond when difficult situations are thrown at us.
First, honestly, Wimpy’s piercing sting scared the hell out of me! I wondered why it couldn’t find someone fat to sting, and why instead it decided to pick on bony me! My elbow had turned red and I wondered what to do about it. I certainly didn’t want to open my laptop and google up on “What to do when a wasp stings you.” In any case, I was in too much pain to do any such thing. Nor was I keen to shell out Rs 500 for “consultation fee” to a doc for a silly wasp’s sting.
So, what did I do?
I simply sat down on a chair, and applied some green medicinal potion from a tiny bottle and some cold water on my elbow. Then, I closed my eyes. I felt calmer, and a sort of truth began unraveling! The wasp was made by God. Its nature was to sting whoever it wanted to! It had no ill intentions, actually”it just was behaving very naturally, very wasp-like. If God had made wasps and had made it part of their nature to sting, naturally God would also cure me!
I felt a strange compassion towards the wasp. I felt the pain receding, and in an hour’s time even the redness had vanished!
There is a saying of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a person, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.”
As the pain vanished, I was able to reflect on this saying and felt happy that Wimpy had chosen me to sting: who knows, that way some of my sins could be expiated, if God willed.
All of us go through our share of such painful situations in life. It could be harsh, rude, rough people we encounter; a curt email from your boss telling you that you haven’t done a good job; handling old parents who may be ill; our own negative thoughts about the world and all the many challenges that it poses; or a wasp stinging you. Handing over all this to God Almighty is the best way to come through out of such situations positively. Also, to believe that challenges are sent to us as a way to learn positive lessons for our own good.
Wimpy’s sting came as a blessing for me as I felt connected to God. It made me feel grounded in the awareness that I am a mortal being who is dependent on God for everything.
I thank little Wimpy the wasp for teaching me the spiritual lesson that I learnt from him!
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