The Puffy Pest

The Deception of the Tomato Hornworm

                I grabbed my hoe one morning a couple days after a good rain shower. It seemed the perfect time to loosen the soil around the tomato plants in the beds on each side of the cellar door.

Glancing up from my tilling, I was startled to see a limb of one of the tomato plants devoid of leaves. Immediately, my search began for the dreaded tomato worm. I had almost given up. I had my gloved hand on one of the limbs of the maltreated plant. There next to my glove sat the culprit ready to resume its destruction. Its presence had been almost imperceptible.

I snatched the puffy pest from the tomato plant limb and placed it on an overturned flowerpot. Then as I glanced at the marred plant, I hurled it to the sidewalk. Instantly, the three musketeers, as I like to refer to the three ginger tom cats, (My mother likes to call them the three mouseketeers.) began their investigation of the garden pest. Soon their claws rendered the puffy, green offender harmless and destined to never damage another tomato plant again.

As I put the hoe away, I thought how I almost missed finding the damaging green caterpillar. Frequently, we nearly fail to identify something harmful in our lives. Often, we focus on the effects or symptoms of our problem instead of getting to the root of it – just as my analysis of the tomato plant’s damage interfered with my locating the detrimental larva.

In the same way the bloated, light green tomato hornworm camouflaged perfectly on the light green, slender limbs of the plant, so do spiritual activities appear as important aspects of our walk with the Lord. Yet instead of cultivating and deepening that relationship with Him, our activities rob us of the necessary time in soul-strengthening Bible study and heartfelt prayer.
Many times, the root of our spiritual problem is not difficult to identify, if we only will pinpoint it. To not oversimplify, but still retain an accurate assessment, it comes down to trusting and obeying. We usually know what we should do, especially if we honestly search our souls. Yet trusting that God’s Way is the best for us and following through with doing exactly what His word says - that is where the struggle occurs.

Lord, above all, help me this week to trust exactly what Your Scripture says. Give me courage and boldness to do what You have directed me to do.