We love summer and we’ve been enjoying it for the last eight days. Naturally, though, summer is accompanied by what many would consider less than ideal characteristics: heat, sweating while standing still, humidity, tornados, ticks, and bugs. Of those bugs, “there are more than 30,000 species of wasp around the world but there are three types that are most commonly encountered by pest control professionals: hornets, paper wasps, and yellow jackets.”1 Have you gotten stung yet by a wasp?
Several sources describe the wasp sting as exaggerated. The chemical damage which delivers the pain and possible severe allergic reaction is exaggerated compared to the minimal physical damage. Why is the wasp sting so painful? Keep reading!
“The stinger delivers the venom to the victim’s blood stream. Peptides and enzymes in the venom break down cell membranes, spilling cellular contents into the blood stream. When the cells in question are neurons, which serve the central nervous system, this breach causes the injured cell to send signals back to the brain. We experience these signals in the form of pain.
“To make sure the pain keeps coming, other substances in the venom, such as norepinephrine, stop the flow of blood. This is why the pain of a wasp sting can last for several minutes, until the blood stream can carry the diluted venom away.
“Finally, hyaluronidase and MCDP (mast cell degranulating peptide) pave the way for the membrane-destroying elements in the venom to move onto other cells by melting through the connective tissue between them. This spreading factor leads to the swelling and redness associated with most insect stings.”2 This pain can last for hours or days, depending on how your body handles all these chemicals.
While most people experience only the pain, redness, and swelling, others can
experience some severe allergic reactions that include hives, abdominal cramps, vomiting, breathing difficulties, swelling of the tongue and throat, and even a loss of consciousness.
Here’s a surprising fact, though. In spite of all the discomfort caused by the wasp sting, “Previous studies have suggested that venom peptides could contribute to [positive] biological activities, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects.”3 Good can come out of the sting!
Hold on to your hats! This is about to get good!
In the New Testament, there is only one passage that uses the word sting. It’s found in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (56) The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For the person dying, the sting of death can be painful. It can last for a short moment or drag on for extended periods. Loved ones feel that pain as well and they grieve the dying and impending death of their friend.
There is a remedy and that is Jesus Christ. Though “it is appointed unto men once to die,” those who have trusted Jesus as Savior will not face the second death described in Revelation 20:14-15. “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
And, just like the wasp’s sting, there are positives that come from the sting of death for the believer. Revelation 21:4-5 reminds us, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (5) And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
No wonder Paul said that God gives the victory through Jesus Christ! For the believer, death is merely the door through which we go to enter eternity. The walk through that door takes a second. The time spent without pain and suffering lasts forever.
As the summer wasps buzz around you, take cover and protect yourself. But don’t miss out on the amazing lessons it brings. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4)
1https://www.jcehrlich.com/help-and-advice/pest-insights/wasps/identification
2https://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/wasp3.htm
3https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8000949/
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