Tolerating Bedbugs

In an informal survey of 2,000 people, I asked “Which household pests would cause you to pay for an exterminator?”  

“Mice?” Some hands.

“Roaches?” Many hands.

“Bedbugs?” All hands.

Much of that last response was due to peer pressure. If you don’t raise your hand, no one will sit near you.

A more formal survey, done by people who actually count the numbers, found these results.

• About 25% of adults will pay an exterminator to kill spiders or ants.
• When mice, rats, and cockroaches are involved, about half of all adults will pay to get rid of them.
• If termites are discovered, almost 9 out of 10 people will call for an exterminator.
• And then the bedbugs. Researchers found that only 56% will pay to banish bedbugs. That surprised me. Almost half of adults will tolerate bedbugs, rats, and roaches, rather than pay a professional to eradicate them.

There are some pests we tolerate more than others. That is true in my life. There are some sins I won’t tolerate, but others I just live with. Yet Ephesians 4:22 says to put off, get rid of those things that characterize the old self. That old self is made up of the attitudes and emotions and behaviors that are who I am without Jesus. Rom. 8:13 says to put those things to death by the power of the Spirit. There are sins I tolerate and indulge and allow to live on inside of me that God calls me to kill. My tolerance for personal “bedbugs” is alarming.