Web Worms or Heart Worms

Day 250 of Photo Inspirations -- Web Worms or Heart Worms
While we were walking this week, my friends and I were surprised at the web worms that were consuming gorgeous trees outside our community.    Those web worms are uninvited guests and have invaded and taken over those trees.  They  are attacking and defoliating trees, often eating every leaf a tree has to offer before deserting it to crawl off and build their cocoons, leaving the tree looking lifeless as a bug in a spider’s web.

As I understand it, web worms are having a really good year because of all the rain we had in the Spring.  The Fall web worm, despite its name, makes its first appearance in Spring. The hatch starts in mid-May or mid-June.  Most people don’t notice the Fall web worms’ webs in Spring, because of the season’s lush tree foliage, but now, that first generation’s activities are becoming increasingly evident as you drive along city streets and country roads.  A sudden awareness like that can make you think some kind of overnight event has occurred. But, these Fall webworms hatched weeks ago. Their webs are noticeable now because the larvae are getting big, too.  Those worms were subtle, but now they’ve taken over. I sound quite learned about web worms, but once again, thanks to the internet for my brilliance!  LOL!

I was thinking about those uninvited guests who came in with such subtlety – unbeknownst to us, but today they have ravaged those trees. Entomologists give options, and one of which is cut the limbs off and destroy the webs and the worms.  Another way is to burn them off  and then there’s treatments available in earliest Spring.

As I thought about these web worms and their sly strategies to take over a tree.  I thought about the little subtle ways the enemy of our souls strategizes and manipulates and does tactical warfare to take us out.  Just think about those annoyances that we encounter:  those  nagging, annoying, ugly and even destroying circumstances and challenges that we face, and even take to heart.  Those things that come in which such subtlety that we make no big deal about them, yet they are still "bugging" (no pun intended) us.  But, we just casually allow them to remain.  And, in the meantime, the enemy uses all of those "issues" to eventually take us – our families, our marriages, our businesses, our relationships, and our children down.  Those are the matters-of-the-heart "worms", that left to themselves…..can ultimately consume us.

But here’s the triple threat, counter attack way to be sure we have the heart “worm” killer applied right in the places it needs to be.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the TRIPLE THREAT -- are our DEFENDERS and trusting in their SUPER POWERS -- will cause us to be immune to the attacks of any enemy.
 
Psalm 63:4-8 says "I will bless you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. At last I shall be fully satisfied; I will praise you with great joy. I lie awake at night thinking of you -- of how much you have helped me—and how I rejoice through the night beneath the protecting shadow of your wings. I follow close behind you, protected by your strong right arm.”

For doubling up the protection, apply Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sits in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose LEAF DOES NOT WITHER. Whatever he does prospers.”

Yes, those who have those beautiful trees who want to be rid of web worms, must go to drastic measures to see them destroyed.  And, those of us who desire to be rid of those things in our lives -- the heart worms -- that have tried to destroy us….we  generously applying God’s Word to our TREES……and to our lives and hearts.