When natural enemies come to mind, we tend to think of big killers like sharks or black bears.  But the damage they do is minimal compared with the little mosquito.  This insect kills more humans in five minutes than sharks do in a year.

The recent arrival of the West Nile virus in North America reminds us that the hardy mosquito is constantly coming up with unpleasant surprises.  In the mid nineteen seventy's, mosquito borne encephalitis infected thousands of North Americans.  But our problems in the west are insignificant compared to Africa.  There, mosquito borne malaria kills millions of people every year.

It's the blood sucking habit of the mosquito that causes human infection.  Interestingly, it's practiced only by the females.  The males are more civilized:  they live on plant juices and nectar.

When the mosquito penetrates the victim's skin with its needle like probe, it injects saliva.  This fluid contains a substance that stops blood from clotting.  Our reaction to this irritant produces the typical itching and swelling.

The mosquito is so resilient that it has developed resistance to every chemical used to combat it.  It's often claimed that the cockroach and the mosquito would be among the few life forms to survive a nuclear war.

So next time you swat that pesky mosquito, remember there are billions more like her ready to move in on you.

The fact that nature is not always friendly to the human species has at least one positive effect.  It stimulates our sense of self-preservation, and stirs us to draw on the vast store of inventiveness inside each one of us.  In a word, it has given us "backbone."  The enemies around us teach us not to merely drift through life, but prepare ourselves to confront evil, resist disease, and push back malignant forces.

Wonderful inventions have arisen from this need to protect the mind, body and soul.  The pacemaker came from the need to fight heart disease; penicillin to fight infection; air conditioning to keep us cool in summer and hot-air furnaces to keep us warm in the winter.  The list goes on and on; many things would not exist today if we did not live in an at least partially threatening environment.  

Very often our own resources are not enough when we have to face an enemy.  Some argue that the most dangerous creature on earth is man himself.  And in the emotional arena, it is incredible how much pain and anguish human beings can inflict on each other.

Some of us have experienced being hacked to pieces emotionally by bitter words and abusive practices.  Those of us who have survived have done so largely because we have not only had enemies, but also friends.  Loyal friends have stood by us.  Patient friends have listened us.  There have been sympathetic and honest friends who have not flinched from telling us the truth.  We have had supportive friends who have stuck by us even when they thought we were wrong.  Faithful friends have faced difficult circumstances by our side.  And generous friends have helped us in times of special need.

When all your friendships seem to have evaporated like the morning mist, have you ever considered calling on God?