Monday, June 19, 2006

Smarter Than a Beetle?

About a month ago I had a Saturday with Lily. We ended up stopping by the Cary Farmer's Market and on a whim I bought a couple of basil plants and one parsley plant. I planted them in a big pot on our deck and they are doing wonderfully. There is a certain degree of pride that comes from growing something and I can see how gardening can be habit-forming, though I'm not quite there yet.

But you might imagine my dismay when I saw Japanese Beetles devouring one of my basil plants. This happened this past Saturday and when I called my dad for Father's Day I asked him about what I could do about it. He recommended some good pesticide that I might try. He also let me know about the sum of the Japanese Beetle's existence. It seems that they live for 2-3 weeks, try to eat as much as they can, mate, and then die.

It's sort of interesting to consider this in the light of:

1 Corinthians 15:31-33

31I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 33Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."


I think back to my life before I really got serious about Jesus. I pretty much lived to eat and hoped that I would have opportunities for sex. I don't ever want to live like a Japanese Beetle again.

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