JCK-at-large SITE

I pulled this amazing bug out of the birdbath.  Sixteen red polkadots across his back like a Spiderman cape!  Plus purple wings!  But what kind of bug was this?

I consulted various experts from the world of insectacidea.  Their guesses ranged between a high-end Cockroach — lying on its back it looks like a roach —  and the Scavenger Beetle.  But nobody had a name!

But how is this possible, I wondered?  How can you be blessed with sixteen red polkadots across the back, plus purple wings — and nobody knows your name?  If I were decked out like that, I would expect a little instant recognition.

As we sought a name for our visitor, we narrowed the search to the Scavenger Beetle, of which,  alas, there are 3,200 species in the world: 

“These beetles are found swimming in marshy freshwater ponds throughout the world, especially in warm regions. Water scavenger beetles have smooth, oval, dark brown or black bodies and short, hairy, clubbed antennae. They range in length from several mm to about 4 cm (up to 1.6 inches). The water scavenger beetle swims by moving the middle and the hind legs on each side together. Most adults feed on algae or decaying matter; a few species, however, are predators.”

Further investigation led us to the Dystisedai, or the “Diving Beetle:”  “Predaceous diving beetles (Dytiscidae) usually have a more rounded, less keeled back, never have the belly spine, and have threadlike, not clubbed, antennae.”

In short, we concluded that this spectacular bug which had landed in our birdbath was a Dytiscidae Diving Beetle in living colour.  Well, colour.

But talk about the need for rebranding!  How do you expect name recognition when the best you can manage is “Scavenger Beetle?”  By a stroke of luck, we discovered that the “Dytiscidae” label comes from the Greek Dytikos, meaning “Diver!”   Now we were on to something!  Why would anyone want to be known as a “Scavenger Beetle” when “Dytikos the Diver” was at hand!  We rebranded our visitor accordingly and felt a lot better about his prospects: “Dytikos the Diver!”  Red polkadot cape, shimmering purple wings!  Add a snorkel and “Nothing is Out Of His Range!”

Ah, rebranding. It can take you far.  Goldie Chan in Forbes says a “personal brand” is a must, and there are “ten easy steps to building yours well!” Things like having a focus and being genuine, being consistent and “living your brand.”  You need to have a positive impact, let others tell your story, and follow successful examples.  Things like that.

It seems even God is interested in rebranding: “I will give them a new name which shall never be revoked” (Isa 56).  To a man whose name was Simon, or “the Reed,” our Lord gave a kind of rebranded new name: Peter, “a Rock.”  

But this rebranding is not an easy business.  Someone said, “It took only a moment for Jesus to turn water into wine: but turning the Reed into a Rock was going to take a lot longer!”