There are over one hundred varieties of the mayfly, most of which appear during May or June. With a body little more than an inch long and a long, forked tail, it is a pretty sight, flying about with its four transparent, veined wings.
Life begins for the mayfly as an egg dropped in water. Soon a nymph hatches out and it crawls along the bottom of the lake or stream for about two years, eating food filtered from the water. At the end of two years, it changes from gill-breathing to air-breathing. Rising to the surface, its outer skin splits open and the adult-stage mayfly emerges. After a short exposure to the air, its four wings strengthen, and it flies to a nearby object to rest for a few hours before becoming active.
After this change, its life is very short. The adult-stage mayfly does not eat - it does not have a mouth or a stomach. It spends its time finding a mate. Clouds of males and females perform their courtship dance over the water, rising and falling gracefully through the air. Afterward, the females lay a number of eggs in the water and die, as do the males. Their adult life span lasts only a few hours. Because of this, their Latin name “ephemerida” means “living for only a day.”
Frequently, great numbers of nymphs come to the water’s surface at the same time for their change into mayflies. As they take to the air in large numbers, they cause excitement among fish that leap for them, as well as birds, swooping down and snatching them in midair. Even so, many do escape, so the egg-laying and eventual hatching of a new supply of nymphs goes on year after year.
Do you think God cares about these little insects? He certainly does. They are part of His creation and are part of the balance of His whole creation. We may not always understand His purpose in the things about us, but like the prophet Isaiah, we can say, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, [faints] not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding” (Isaiah 40:2828Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. (Isaiah 40:28)).
But He does want us, as His special creation, to come to Him. We are invited to “seek . . . the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:66Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (Isaiah 55:6)). He also invites each one to “come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)). Our lives, like the mayfly’s, may be shorter than we expect. How important it is to accept Him as our Lord and Saviour today!
ML-05/05/2002