My roses are beautiful every year... there are two large rosebushes by the driveway... they are a bright pink color. They put on quite a show and we sure enjoy them.
I like the color... I like that they bloom more than once a year... I like that they are right out front so that we can see them from the living room... and every time we come and go. I love that they are so easy to care for. They were a Mother's Day gift from my family several years ago... not sure how many... maybe 8-10 or so. They have grown much in that time, but not excessively... just a nice amount. :)
Sometimes I will cut a couple of these roses and put them in a vase in the house... they look so pretty and last many days. My husband has complained that they are not as big as the roses at the florist... he is thinking of the big long stemmed roses. He's right... but I sure like these... in fact, I think I like these even better. Each rose is about 3 1/2" in diameter, so they are not small ones... I think they are just right. :)
We noticed some holes in the leaves... hmmm... it happens... not too alarming......
Hmmmm, we wondered what that was all about. After looking around, we found a big hole in one of the big roses. We didn't like that!
It seems it is a sawfly worm... and they can have 1-6 generations a season, depending on what kind it is! That set off some alarms... especially when we found out that they can defoliate the bushes. They will apparently drop down to the soil at some point and lay eggs which will hatch and come to do more damage to my roses. It is not something we can ignore as these could maybe even kill our beautiful bushes.
I realized that though these roses look beautiful... they are being destroyed from the inside. Though the damage isn't easily visible... it is there and it is happening and will spread. Ignoring it will lead to increased damage and severe consequences.
I also realized the obvious spiritual parallel. Wow, what a lesson to us. How many times do we still look GOOD on the outside... and yet have damage happening in our souls as we have allowed sin to have a place? Maybe it is envy.... or coveting... or unforgiveness.... fear... bitterness... or any other sin. Sin WILL hurt us and we dare not ignore it.... it will grow.... and spread and our heart will harden. I sure don't want that... and I would imagine all of us would be sobered by the idea.
Maybe if we pictured the sin in our hearts as like those little green worms in the roses... we would be more diligent to watch for them... and get rid of them!
Maybe it is time to ask... what does my heart look like... inside? How is my walk with the Lord? Am I harboring any sins? I love the verse in Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Thank you for visiting today... I hope the roses of your soul are beautiful....inside and out. I hope you have a great week. :)
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Art of Homemaking Monday
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My flowering bushes are being aggressively attacked by the same worms. I am sure our garden had these worms before, but there are so many of them this year that it's alarming.
ReplyDeleteIt is... I don't know why it is bad this year... we did notice a "new" kind of wasp last year..... and it seems it may have been the culprit who started this. :( I don't want to use chemicals, so am trying to figure out how to handle this in the best way possible... we don't have too many yet, but by the time the next group hatches, we could be overrun. I hope you get yours taken care of soon also... any idea how you will treat the problem?
DeleteSuch beautiful roses such great photography!! Im waiting for the second round of buds to appear.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Aren't they wonderful? I sure enjoy them... these are my first buds... wow, you are already waiting for the second round! :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful spiritual lesson! And, yes, it is sobering to think that the things lurking inside of our spirit under the surface could be destroying us from the inside out. God help us. I often think about how David asked God to search him and know his heart. He knew that we cannot depend on our own selves to do the searching and examining, as we might make allowances and excuses for the things we find there. If God does the searching, we will get an honest, forthright assessment. I am so sorry to know that your lovely roses are being attacked like this. I hope you can find a remedy to kill these awful critters before they do any more damage. Praying for you. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a good point that God needs to be the one searching because we would make excuses and allowances for ourselves. So true. Thank you for praying... I appreciate it. :)
DeleteBeautiful roses - even WITH holes - but I hope you can stop the invasion.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-walk-on-beach.html
They sure are and I am still enjoying them... but I really want to get rid of the invaders! :)
DeleteBeautiful roses! I do hope they survive the attack.. Have a happy day!
ReplyDeleteThank you... I do too.... I don't know when the next group will hatch out either. :( I will enjoy them while they are pretty though. :)
DeleteGood spiritual comparison. Neem Oil would probaby help the worms in the leaves & blossoms. It's a natural product from the Neem Tree that is both a pesticide & a mildew treatment that the plant absorbs, so you don't have to worry about spraying both top & bottom of the leaves or anything. (I bought mine at Lowes.) A monthly application of rose fertilizer will help the plants recover and perform even better next year. (Roses are heavy feeders) Good Luck.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU so much! I haven't had time to research it yet and am feeling the pressure on it... what a blessing for you to share this. Thank you. :)
DeleteOh my goodness I hope you can get rid of them. That is so frustrating I love your illustration. What a wonderful verse we all need to remember. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you... it seemed like a good spiritual lesson.. and I will be glad to get rid of those things. (shudder)! :)
DeleteSuch a true message, and never too late to eradicate from inside out. Jesus is just waiting with open arms as in the story of the son in Luke 15:11-20. Hope your roses are okay and the problem worm gets solved. Really like the comparison there. Been on a journey reading through the Bible for that exact purpose so your message hits home. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great comment... glad the Lord used this post... I love how He tends to do that... He brings several related things to us to drive home a lesson He wants us to learn. :) Thank you for visiting.
DeleteThey are as lovely from behind as they are in front. Hope you have some soap spray for those nasty worms.
ReplyDeleteThey have always done well... and I have never had any problems with them in the years I have had them, so I need to do my homework and get to work on it.... I sure don't want to lose the bushes.
DeleteWhat lovely roses. I do hope they can survive. A wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteThank you... I sure enjoy them and I hope they will survive also. :) Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteGreat way to share that passage, they look good from a distance but up close not so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you... so much of life can be like that... but how nice when things look good both ways. :)
DeleteThese things do happen in the gardening world and also in our spirits. I hope you find a solution to the sawflies. We do have to be watchful that bitterness doesn't build up in us too.
ReplyDeleteThat's for sure....... and it happens so quickly and quietly... like these sawflies came.... we do need to be watchful.
DeleteYour roses and words are lovely. Hope your roses recover.
ReplyDeleteThank you.... I do too. :)
DeleteWow, I so miss having rose bushes in my backyard. I run a home daycare now so it would be completely unpractical... but how gorgeous are those? I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy the roses, but I can see why you couldn't have them with a daycare.
DeleteWhat beautiful roses....I hope you get rid of the sawfly's completely!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with Green Thumb Thursday last week. I hope to see you back again!
Lisa
Thank you... I hope so too... they sure do some damage.
DeleteMy peonies were eaten up like that!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first year I have seen that... i didn't realize they were a threat to the peonies also. Thank you for visiting.
DeleteWhat a shame for your roses. I hope you were able to stop the intruders. What a wonderful spiritual parallel. Visiting from the homestead blog hop. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteI sure was sad to see the damage... but it is amazing how God can take something like that and teach me a spiritual lesson. Thank you for visiting... and it is very nice to meet you. :)
DeleteMine are being attacked by the Japanese beetle. I hate those things! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!
ReplyDeleteWe just found those on our blueberry bushes. :( It is a new thing for us.... much work to do. Thank you for visiting.
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