Thank Goodness for Forgiveness

My pencil case on the side of me is covered in flowers, rainbows, smiling ladybugs, and butterflies. It reminds me of one kleenex commercial I saw on TV the other day. In the commercial, there is a monk (whom I'm assuming to be Buddhist) who embraces all nature, taking time just to save every little creature in the way. He turns over a turtle on stuck upsidedown, he returns a fish back into the water, and even transfers a spider from the floor to a homely plant. This monk has a cold however, and sneezes into Kleenex, realizing to his dispair that he had just killed 99.9% of his cold and flu viruses. Then on the bottom of the screen it says, thank goodness for forgiveness.

I found this commercial funny, and now that I think back on it, I start to wonder why God created germs and bugs in the first place. All germs do is make people and animals sick, doing us no good whatsoever. People say that there is a reason for everything, but I can't seem to understand the reason behind bugs and germs. The only thing most people do to such nuisances is try killing them. Some bugs like the butterflies and the ladybugs are beautiful to look at, but the other millions of species are ugly and it seems as though they are just taking up space.

Ok, maybe after thinking about this topic a little more, I am beginning to understand. Bugs are just a part of the circle of life I guess. Bugs are food to other animals, which are food to other animals, which are food to us humans. If all bugs were to die, then then the animals who eat the bugs will die, and the other animals who eat those animals will die, which will probably make our own survival harder. Maybe I am being a little self-centered, thinking that the only species that matter is the most powerful one, maybe we should be more considerate God's creations, since he probably had purpose for everything here. But on what level should we be considerate of God's creation? Should we be like monks, saving every little spider, and feeling guilty when we get over a cold? It's true that spiders and germs are a nuisance, but is that a reason to kill? I mean, we don't kill off annoying people in our lives. This deep thinking is making my head hurt...