Experience & Cicadas

Chances are, if you live in Rockford and haven’t really ventured out lately, you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about. Maybe you have seen photos or videos of them emerging in the Chicago suburbs, but you have yet to notice any signs in your own neighborhood. While some folks who live near forest preserves may have witnessed their presence, here in the Forest City excitement over the seventeen-year cicada has, so far, been nothing more than hype.

Whether the quiet air is a relief or a letdown, I would encourage you to at least take a brief trek up near Rockton, or down to Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve, where the cicadas are in full gear. You don’t even have to get out of your car — just the sheer volume of their droning is like nothing I have ever heard. The hype is real. If you do go, consider taking a set of earplugs to donate to the folks who live nearby!

This whole entomological event is a wonderful reminder that even in the most common of circumstances, people will have vastly different experiences. Cicadas emerge in pockets, terrorizing some and completely avoiding others. A solar eclipse leaves a narrow line of communities breathless, while those only a dozen miles away are rendered unimpressed. Some people are eager to celebrate Father’s Day next week, while others will greet the day with grief.

We can experience the exact same moment, but our unique, individual stories will turn that moment into a type of Rorschach test, reflecting our own histories back on us. The only way to know that some people witness totally different images in the inkblots is to ask, listen, and believe.

I grew up in a small town, where those in the LGBT community were at best mocked, and at worst outright shunned. That was the only view I knew. But once I moved away, I met wonderful people so different from me and learned the depth of joy that can be found when we celebrate people for who God has made them to be. By listening to others, we can discover that the world is so much bigger, complicated, and wonderful than it ever could be if everyone was exactly the same.

The wonderful thing about diversity is that we have so much to learn from one another. I don’t know what it’s like to grow up in a city. I will never be a minority. I have never felt compelled to move to a new country simply to survive. But, I can listen. Learning about the different experiences others have had creates empathy and helps us embrace the valid, human experiences of our neighbors. We are all unique children of God, wonderfully made in God’s image.

Cicadas aren’t made in God’s image, but they too are wonderful. 

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna