I love the title “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” because it reminds me of the 1950s movie which, when compared to today’s standards of gore and blood in cinematography, is considered cheesy. It also brings to mind a funny fictional occurrence that is realistic. However, what if it weren’t just a movie, but a real life event?
My Secret: Body Snatchers in My Home
I hesitated for a long time in deciding whether to publish this blog post and share my secret about the body snatchers invading my home. I know so many people in my little neck of the woods here in Alexandria, Virginia and am starting to gain new friends online. What would they possibly think of me for wanting to divulge a secret that would turn people off and sabotage my very own efforts of turning my blog posts on faith into a full-fledge book on faith?
Well, the risks are severe. I’ll admit that. But, I won’t admit defeat. Even if I am being invaded by some form of body snatchers, I still want to tell you my story and publish my problems in this creative manner, hopefully, to continue inspiring others to renew their faith or gain new faith, just as when I first started back in March of this year.
Here goes nothing…
Mysterious Red Welts
Back in November 2011, gulp, just about one year ago, my daughter was happy-go-lucky, going to kindergarten by herself like a big girl. Everything was fine and hunky dory until one day, when I noticed that she had tiny little red welts on her face. They were itchy and bothersome. Of course, I took no chances and headed right to our pediatrician. Nothing major, so that was that.
The tiny welts continued for several weeks, with no solution pending. What in Sam’s hill was going on here and why couldn’t I get to the root of the problem? Two months later, it was January 2012 and I just couldn’t take it anymore. We went to see a specialist in skin disorders, a highly recommended dermatologist.
By then, the little red welts had spread to my daughter’s back and lower leg. At that point, I started getting alarmed. What could possibly be going on to cause this? Okay, so we went to the specialist and he told us that sometimes, symptoms are asymptomatic. That is doctor lingo that means that there is no specific cause of the welts and that sometimes, welts appear on skin just because. That was the best diagnosis that the dermatologist rendered, based on examination and the replies I gave to a bunch of questions. After prescribing a harmless spray for the itchiness, we were on our way.
Welts Caused by Bedbugs
Two different doctors with pretty much the same diagnosis. It calmed me down a bit to know that nothing major was wrong with my daughter. That fleeting calmness lasted long enough to keep me from overreacting until “it” finally happened. “It” was the answer to our prayers.
Eventually, I learned what had been going on since November. It took us nearly three months of living with silent body snatchers to finally realize that we had bedbugs. More specifically, my loving daughter, my firstborn, the love of my life, had been unfairly infested with bedbugs in her bed, for months, no less. Relieved, although true, would be too trifling to describe how I felt when I learned this information. Disgusted, outraged, humiliated seemed all more fitting choices.
I don’t know what it was about this situation that led me to do what I did next. Perhaps a maternal sense of protecting my child from harm? I don’t know. All of a sudden, I thrust my “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” laser machine upon myself and stood powerfully and mightily at one inch tall.
Being one inch tall, searching for tiny bedbugs turned into a welcome adventure. With the nose of a bloodhound, the tools of Sherlock Holmes, and the vengeance of Arnold Schwarzenegger who declared that he’ll be back, I set out to do an all-sweep of my daughter’s bedroom. It became a real-life video game where I took great pride in finding and killing the enemy with every ounce of strength.
I stripped down the bed, found the culprits hiding within the bed frame, found remnants of their sorry, puny carcasses strewn about, and then, I declared war. One that I would win with a little Martha Stewart cleaning prowess and a whole lot of faith. I probably could have gotten very angry at a lot of people and started suing doctors left and right for failing to diagnose my daughter’s condition. I probably could have started cussing out the people who brought in the bedbugs into our sanctuary in the first place. Yup, I found out how it happened.
Major Pain, Major Lesson
But what good would it do me to get so angry about a situation that God has allowed to happen to me in the first place? Life does not always bring us clear-cut answers that may be neatly filed into yes-no categories. Often, God allows big, ugly things to happen to us because during those experiences, he is trying to teach us a lesson.
I haven’t yet figured out what lesson God was trying to teach us during this bedbug experience, but I do know that since this incident occurred, I’ve worked overtime in the cleanliness department, despite the fact that bedbugs are not a product of lack of cleanliness as much as they are masters of reproduction and tough to eliminate, short of drastic heat treatments.
Nearly one year after this whole escapade has happened, gulp once again, we are still, unbelievably, dealing with bedbugs in our home. Here is the part where many people would disagree with my choice to publish this information publicly, even stupidly. If I am to stay true to my vision of faith, it is not just my choice to divulge this damaging information, but my obligation.
God has turned on my channel, and I am being called to broadcast uncomfortable situations with hopes to inspire. Yes, God helps us through all situations, even with pesky bedbugs that are too stubborn to pack up their bags and vamoose. No matter what measures we take to try to rectify this problem, I know that I will continue to call upon God’s graces to get us through our great annoyances.
Faith is Stronger than Pest Control
If you boil it down, the real problem is that I am the one who is now most inconvenienced by the bedbug problem. I enter into evidence exhibit A, perhaps the most embarrassing photo of my legs that I could possibly take. Exhibit B, which is my wrist, is not much better. The red welts are the byproducts of our disgusting friends, who decided to honor me as queen by treating my body like a tasty sandwich. They visit my beautifully prime skin and all of a sudden, the feast begins!
I cannot stand this problem, but at the same time, I am strong enough in my faith to believe that the problem will end on its own when God allows it to end. Pest control sprays are no match to God’s all-encompassing wave of his hand. That is the true solution. I must keep patiently plugging away within my human efforts to do what I can do and wait until God allows the problem to be completely eliminated.
If you have used faith to help you deal with a similarly embarrassing problem such as mine, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section.
