If you haven’t had a chance to catch up, make sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 of the Silent Retreat 2025 series.
I’ve been writing a lot lately about combating all the distractions we have in our everyday lives. Our modern world is distracting!
Distractions at a silent retreat can happen too. In Part 2, I wrote about the tremendous rain and storms that happened in the area. The weather, of course, was distracting.
There was another distraction for me that weekend, though. Right after we turned in our phones that first night, I found wasps in my room. Not 1, not 2, but 3 wasps in my bathroom!
Danielle helped me kill them. After she left, I was jumpy because I didn’t know where they came from or if there were more. And I knew I had to sleep in my bed that night. I would need to revisit my bathroom to shower!
I felt vulnerable and exposed. I managed to shower successfully without any more wasps. As I was getting ready for bed, I noticed a wasp in the window.
The room I was in had a loft to it. There was a ladder and a bunk up overhead and the wasp was up high on the window. I prayed that he’d just stay there.
I was able to sleep fairly well that evening. The next morning as I was getting ready, I noticed a wasp on the floor. I thought it was already dead but decided to step on it anyway. It was not already dead…
This is now 4 wasps that have been killed in my room.
When I came back to my room later that afternoon, there were 2 more wasps in my bathroom. Danielle had gotten some wasp spray. I retrieved it and put it to use. The wasp I sprayed with it…well, it seemed to only make it angry!
It crawled into a crevice in the baseboard. “Great!” I thought. I sprayed more wasp spray in the crevice. Out it came, seemingly more angry. I stepped on it and cleaned up the residue of the spray.
The other wasp was in the shower. I took my wash cloth and swatted at it. It clung to the wash cloth. I dropped it, of course. Finally, I was able to step on that one too.
“Where in the world are they coming from?” I thought to myself. That was the eeriest part of it. Not knowing where they were coming from or how many more there were.
That night was not as restful. I seriously considered not taking a shower. Mainly because I didn’t want to be caught exposed having to battle another wasp.
I made a deal with myself that I would shower, but it would be fast. I had planned to wash my hair, and decided against it.
Showering was successful. No other wasps.
I got ready for bed and laid down to read. While reading, I noticed a wasp flying high above me in the loft area. I had the ceiling fan on and I hoped that would do the trick. Maybe he will just leave me alone. I’m leaving him alone and thinking surely he’d leave me alone too.
I turned out the light and tried to sleep. No. such. luck. I tossed and turned and for sure the wasp was on my mind.
I turned the lamp back on again and sat up in bed. I didn’t want to read anymore. Coloring in my devotional coloring book it is!
It’s still storming outside, by the way. Rain is continuing to beat down. Lightening is lighting up the night sky and rumbles of thunder follow.
I colored for a long while. I kept my eye on the wasp every once and while. He was still flying above me from time to time.
Around 2:30 in the morning, the wasp made his move. He flew down close to me, the buzzing close to my ear. He landed on the wall close to my bedside.
Nope! Nope! Ok, I’m done.
This is wasp number 7. I did not want to attempt to kill this one. It’s early in the morning. If I miss and get stung, I’m going to be alone to deal with it. And I didn’t want to wake the rest of the house either.
While keeping my eyes fixated on this wasp, I gathered my pillow and a bag and went downstairs.
After getting downstairs, I thought about it for a minute. I decided to go back up and get all the rest of my things too. I was done with the eerie wasps.
There was a half bathroom downstairs that I could get ready in the next morning. And I could sleep on one of the couches in the living room.
And that’s what I did. I colored more first. This was me trying to calm my nerves about the wasps. I relaxed finally and laid down to sleep.
The rain still pouring outside. Lightening and thundering too.
I believe the wasps were a distraction tactic by the enemy. Doesn’t the enemy want to keep you from God? Why would the enemy be happy about your trying to spend uninterrupted time with God?
While I knew this was true and I prayed about it, and prayed for the wasps to go away. They didn’t.
What I also thought was interesting was the wasps, when I killed them were fairly easy to kill. They didn’t put up much of a fight, didn’t fly at me. They were slow. They weren’t flying very much and they weren’t able to defend themselves well.
When I talked with my dad later that day on the way home, I told him about them. He said they had been hibernating and were emerging but stiff and not as agile.
What I know to be true is the enemy has no authority over us unless we agree to his lies. The enemy is weak in comparison to our God.
The wasps were scary. Knowing they were in the room was scary, but they didn’t pose as much of a threat as they appeared. I wasn’t stung, but the threat was there.
I believe that the wasps were a representation of the enemy and his lies. However, truth is more powerful and always holds authority over evil.
I also think there is a significance to there being 7 wasps. The number 7 is very significant in the Bible.
*It appears over 700 times in the Bible.
*The significance of the number 7 represents perfection and completion.
*Creation happened in 7 days. – Genesis 1; 2: 1-2
*God rested on the 7th day.
*It is exoneration and healing.
*It is a fulfillment of promises and oaths.
*Reference linked from christianity.com.
The wasps nor the enemy were successful that weekend in their distractions.
They were minor distractions that I needed to deal with and handle.
The Silent Retreat weekend was fruitful in rest, safety, and connection with the Heavenly Father.
And I’d do it all again. May I take the experience of the wasps with me as I encounter other distractions and fears.
May I remember:
- that perfect love drives out fear. 1 John 4:18
- that the Spirit He gave me is not timid 2 Timothy 1:7
- I will fear no evil Psalms 23:4
- nothing in this world can separate me from God’s love Romans 8:39
I pray that you also stand on these truths the next time you encounter fear distracting you from the Father’s love.
Stay tuned for another installment of my Silent Retreat weekend next week!
