My office has a seasonal issue with stink bugs. The thing that stinks the most about stink bugs is not that they stink. They are aggressive little suckers.

Tonight I was sitting in my office minding my own business writing a blog when suddenly I was under attack. I ducked his first dive bomb attack but the menacing little drone was on a mission. He just kept coming. Suddenly I was out of my chair swatting at the thing with a packet full of prayer requests.

Mr. Stink bug was undeterred by my warning salvo. He circled around at the entrance to my office door and made a stink-bug -line for my face. I held up my prayer shield and swatted. Prayer requests flew willy-nilly out of the packet as the bug connected with my weapon of mass destruction. When all the prayer requests had settled to the office floor like autumn leaves I found my tiny enemy wounded and trying to limp as fast as he could out of my sites.

“Oh no you don’t!” I cried and with three swift swats I dispatched the little terrorist to whatever hell bugs go to.

Satisfied I shut out the lights to my office and headed home.

On the ride home Holy Spirit began to talk to me, “You shouldn’t have killed the bug.”

“Oh come on Lord. It was a bug!” Was my swift retort.

“This isn’t about the bug. It is about your attitude.” He said.

The Mary Chapin Carpenter song started playing in my head almost instantly.

Then God said, “You always want to be the windshield. You want to be the Louisville Slugger. You always want to come out on top. How does that fit with my words ‘in humility esteem others greater than yourself.’ or ‘If a man strikes you on one cheek turn to him the other also’ ?”

As I have been meditating on that tonight the question comes to mind, “What if Jesus had insisted on being the windshield? What if he had called 10,000 angels to His side instead of going to the cross? Where would we bugs be then?”

Of course Jesus didn’t do that. He gave up his windshield moment to become the bug. He bore his cross. He calls us to bear ours.

I hope you understand this post isn’t really about bugs. It’s about those moments in life when we have the power to win but using the power is simply the wrong thing to do. It’s about those moments when we have the opportunity to be the windshield but God calls us to be the bug instead.

Jesus’ cross looked like a loss.

Your cross will look the same.

Jesus could have done something to get rid of His cross.

Chances are God is going to give you the same opportunity to get rid of yours.

In that moment as you consider your cross just remember, sometimes we need to lose a little to gain a lot. Sometimes we have to be the bug.