Those Unwelcome Webworms and Heartworms

This picture of a beautifully, fully-in-bloom crepe myrtle is what crepe myrtles should look like. Don’t be misled by the picture – it isn't one of mine. It came from the internet. All nine of my crepe myrtles are home to the uninvited webworms. They came to inhabit my branches with their yucky webs that consume and kill the leaves on them. I didn’t spray them with pesticide this year because it didn’t seem to help last year. Maybe I should reconsider the idea for next year.

I followed the lead of my neighbors with pruning last year to help rid them of those pesky webbed webworms. There was nothing but a trunk and few limbs remaining on them at the end of blooming season. Bare-necked, they looked miserable when I strung Christmas lights on them. Most people don’t notice the Fall webworms’ webs in Spring, because of the season’s lush tree foliage, but now, they have set up residence. These Fall webworms hatched weeks ago. Subtle at first, but now those worms have taken over.

As I thought about these webworms and their sly and subtle strategies, I thought about the subtle, tactical ways the enemy of our souls invades our lives. Anger, jealousy, fear, worry, dread, tendencies to lie and cheat, to watch shows that offer profanity, adultery, and other tools of the enemy that we may think don't affect us, but they do. We ignore the subtle ways the enemy invades our hearts. We make no big deal about them and allow them to remain. 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, and even out. Those are the matters-of-the-heart "worms", that left to themselves – can deceive and consume us.

But we have a triple threat pesticide for the heart “worm” killer when we apply them in the right places. We have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit –- the TRIPLE THREAT -- who are our defenders and when we trust in their super powers and seek them with our hearts, we will be immune to the attacks of any enemy.

For tripling 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 webworms, 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 apply God’s Word to our TREES -- and to our lives and hearts. Best pesticide ever is Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony".

My Crepe Myrtles had a Baby

One of the side-blessings of my Frisco home, was the lawn that had been professionally landscaped with rock and stone edgings, perennials, a variety of trees, bushes and nine orchid-flowered crepe myrtles.

I've always loved summer's colorful crepe myrtles that seem to abound in Oklahoma and Texas. It’s a hearty tree despite the major pruning they get in the fall. Just bald stubs are left. But once winter passes, little sprouts abound with beautiful foliage. While I’m not crazy about the maintenance of the myrtles throughout the summer (i.e., the twigs that grow from ground up or the tree spiders that spin their webs in them), I'm grateful for their color. Routinely, I snip the little saplings that pop up, but this year, I noticed a perfect little baby crepe myrtle had strategically located itself between the mama and papa trees. I let it grow and, as you can see, it's already a teenager!

I’ve always loved trees. Period. I especially love my front yard's two large oak trees -- their look, their shade, the sound of wind in their leaves, and the colors they show off in the fall.

The Bible has many references to trees. I’m convinced that trees were one of God’s special projects when He created them. In the beginning, in Genesis, God created trees. In Psalm 1, we find out that if we delight and meditate on God's Word, then we'll be like a tree planted by water that yields fruit and whatever we do will prosper. And, the last page of the Bible, Revelation 22:2, we hear about the tree of life's leaves that are for the healing of the nations.” (Oh, Lord, let the tree of life spring up so that our nations are healed!) In Proverbs 3:18, we read that wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her and happy are those who hold her tightly. And, I like to think that when I raise my arms heavenward to praise God, I'm taking after the tree's limbs that reach heavenward to praise God, too!

Country singer, Barbara Mandrell, sang, “He grew the tree that He knew would be used to make the old rugged cross.” The song brought out, that even at creation God was planning our redemption. That song could not be any truer. Oh how I love the tree that gave us the cross where our Savior hung and died for you and me. I like to think that from that very tree, many trees have been birthed from you and me. How wonderful to share about the “tree” of our Savior to help others understand the price Jesus paid for us. We are the little saplings that grow from that "tree" and produce beautiful fruit that entice others to know our Lord."

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls." Proverbs 11:30