As I mentioned in part 1, I think of the tomato horn worm as the cankerworm, though in the mid-east, the word translated "cankerworm" may refer to a younger stage of the locust. But every year, my garden is plagued by the tomato hornworms. They are ugly and sometimes vicious. They are considerably larger than the cabbage worm, and much uglier.
The word literally means, "a devourer," and its unused root word means, "to lick up." That is what appears to happen. They just show up one morning, large and green. They have creepy eyes on their heads and a horn on their rear end. Their green color blends with the green leaves of the plants, enabling them to eat to their content without being easily spotted.
I find them by looking at where they've been—twigs or branches stripped of leaves, then looking all around until I find them, usually clinging to the underside of a branch. To pry them off the branch which they are consuming without breaking that branch is a difficult challenge, but once I have them off, I squash them. After all, either they get the tomatoes or I get the tomatoes: they don't share; they just consume everything, destroying even the capacity to bear more blossoms and fruit.
What they represent to me, spiritually, are those things that devour our capacity to produce good things and to nourish ourselves, those things which consume whole portions of our lives. These are like addictions or propensities toward sin, which, once allowed to latch on, will consume us, bit by bit, leaf by leaf, as it were.
Sometimes the things we allow in our lives are things that others say are perfectly fine and good. Society certainly tells us that there is no such thing as sin; some states are even legalizing the use of drugs which can affect the person like the hornworm affects the tomato plant. These things that blend into our culture are nearly undetectable as pests or dangers. How can something that looks or seems so "natural" or "normal" be harmful?
We do well to take heed. By the time the destruction is noticed, it is often hard to get rid of the thing causing it without harming the individual. Serious inspection must occur, followed by a gentle but firm removal of the offending pest, followed by an eradication of it so that it cannot re-attach itself to the person.
Joel 2: 23 says, "Then be glad, sons of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God. For He has given you a teacher (also translated, 'the early rain') according to righteousness, and He will cause the rain to come down for you, the early rain and the latter rain as at the first." A study of the words for "early rain" and "latter rain" yield multiple layers of meaning in that verse, one of which is "to point out or point at."
I often pray in my garden, asking God to point out to me the hornworms, the cankerworms. And He does. I also ask Him to show me any areas of my life that need fixing, any thoughts, feelings, or propensities that I need to get rid of; He is a reliable, wise, and faithful teacher, and He has given me the teaching of the word of God as my guide. He waters my life with early and latter rain, blessings that pour out and blessings that come in little sprinkles of daily "small things."
And the wonderful thing is that this can be a reality to everyone—to you, personally. God's blessings and teachings are available to all, for "whosoever believes."
Next week: "Caterpillars"
Crack in the Liberty Bell
Vicki Dorshorn
7/4/2022
Resurrection Miracles
Vicki Dorshorn
4/16/2022
Globalism: Olympic Games Canceled
Vicki Dorshorn
2/20/2022
Happy Valentine's Day from God
Vicki Dorshorn
2/13/2022
Beginnings and Endings
Vicki Dorshorn
12/30/2021
The Light of the World
Vicki Dorshorn
12/24/2021
He Is Risen As He Said
Victoria Dorshorn
4/2/2021
Three M's of Christmas
Vicki Dorshorn
12/25/2020
Silenced and Silent
Vicki Dorshorn
8/4/2020
The Right Way
Vicki Dorshorn
7/13/2020
"Let Freedom Ring"
Vicki Dorshorn
7/3/2020
Caring and Sharing
Vicki Dorshorn
6/20/2020
One Race -- Two Creations
Vicki Dorshorn
6/10/2020
An End to Racism
Vicki Dorshorn
6/2/2020
With One Voice
Vicki Dorshorn
5/24/2020
Trust in God
Vicki Dorshorn
5/17/2020
A Firm Foundation
Vicki Dorshorn
5/9/2020
No Fear!
Vicki Dorshorn
5/2/2020
Author of Peace, Not Confusion
Vicki Dorshorn
4/28/2020
Too Timid to Tell
Vicki Dorshorn
4/24/2020
Resurrection Promise
Vicki Dorshorn
4/11/2020
God's Mercies
Vicki Dorshorn
4/2/2020
Yet I Will Rejoice
Vicki Dorshorn
3/18/2020
Slow Suicide—Part 2
Vicki Dorshorn
3/5/2020
Slow Suicide—Part 1
Vicki Dorshorn
3/2/2020
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
Vicki Dorshorn
2/6/2020
A Stable and an Empty Tomb
Vicki Dorshorn
12/24/2019
Do Definitions Matter?
Vicki Dorshorn
12/17/2019
Darkness Creeping In
Vicki Dorshorn
11/26/2019
The Presence and Purpose of Pain and Sorrow
Vicki Dorshorn
8/31/2019
Salt and Light
Vicki Dorshorn
8/21/2019
Real Rainbows and True Light
Vicki Dorshorn
8/17/2019
The Light of Life
Vicki Dorshorn
8/7/2019
A Giant Eraser
Vicki Dorshorn
4/23/2018
He Is Risen
Vicki Dorshorn
3/30/2018
Rejection
Vicki Dorshorn
7/22/2015
Liberty Bell & more
Vicki Dorshorn
7/4/2015
Breaking News
Vicki Dorshorn
6/22/2015
Cracked Foundations
Vicki Dorshorn
6/12/2015
Power Transformers
Vicki Dorshorn
6/5/2015
Transformers
Vicki Dorshorn
5/28/2015
What is my name?
Vicki Dorshorn
5/20/2015
What age is Jesus for you?
Vicki Dorshorn
12/21/2014
Part 2 - Stories of Sovereignty from England
Vicki Dorshorn
11/21/2014
Stories of Sovereignty from England
Vicki Dorshorn
11/15/2014
Coincidence or Sovereignty?
Vicki Dorshorn
11/3/2014
Time to Care
Vicki Dorshorn
8/24/2014
"Lion on the Loose"
Vicki Dorshorn
8/16/2014
Lessons from My Garden - Part 6
Vicki Dorshorn
8/10/2014
Lessons from My Garden - Part 5
Vicki Dorshorn
8/3/2014
Lessons from My Garden - Part 4
Vicki Dorshorn
7/27/2014
Lessons from My Garden - Part 3
Vicki Dorshorn
7/20/2014
"Lessons from My Garden -- Part 2"
Vicki Dorshorn
7/12/2014
Lessons From My Garden - Part 1
Vicki Dorshorn
7/7/2014
Dreams, Revisions, and Renewal
Vicki Dorshorn
6/29/2014
A Dream that is Reality
Vicki Dorshorn
6/21/2014
The Return of the Swallows
Vicki Dorshorn
6/14/2014
Part 2 - Where will I go when I die?
Vicki Dorshorn
6/7/2014
Where will I go when I die?
Vicki Dorshorn
5/31/2014
Truth or Deception
Vicki Dorshorn
5/24/2014
Deliverance from Falling
Vicki Dorshorn
5/16/2014
Deliverance from Tears
Vicki Dorshorn
5/10/2014
Deliverance from Death
Vicki Dorshorn
5/3/2014
The Significance of Death
Vicki Dorshorn
4/27/2014
Conclusion of Why Bad Things Happen
Vicki Dorshorn
4/19/2014
Good and Bad, Relatively Speaking
Vicki Dorshorn
4/12/2014
The Potter and the Clay
Vicki Dorshorn
4/5/2014
"Bad Things" - Part 5
Vicki Dorshorn
3/29/2014
"Bad Things" - Part 4
Vicki Dorshorn
3/21/2014
"Bad Things" - Part 3
Vicki Dorshorn
3/15/2014
"Bad Things" - Part 2
Vicki Dorshorn
3/8/2014
"Bad Things" - Part I
Vicki Dorshorn
3/1/2014
Who are "good" people?
Vicki Dorshorn
2/26/2014
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Vicki Dorshorn
2/22/2014