Scale

It’s pretty yucky stuff and very picky, too!

It quietly begins at the heart of the King Sago Palm, only the Sagos. This little white dot looking thing works its way up the leaf, spot by yucky spot. It is a newly “imported” pest and making its way across the country, blowing in the wind and settling wherever the breezes take them. Well, not here, tho’! I went on a scale eradication mission today.

This lovely King Sago has several heads, so the first job was to clear things out to make some space for the spraying to get to the heart of things. You see scale attacks the heart of the Sago first, then works its way out. If it gets too cold, then it will burrow all the way down into the roots of the plant for months. All the leaves that I cut off were put into a bag to be throw away…not in the brush pile to blow into the neighbor’s yard.

I just kept looking at these little white dots…they don’t look like they could kill you. They’re just little dots, right?

HA! I had to laugh….story of my life! It’s just a little ‘spot’, right? I can’t count high enough to tell you all the ‘spots’ that I let into the heart of things, ugh! 

Well, just like the Sago, we all need to clear a path to our hearts…and make way for the The Exterminator! When I think about it, I may notice (tho’ this is me we’re talking about, so maybe not) the big things in life that get in the way of my walk with the Lord. But, if they’re in the way of our time with Him, then aren’t they already big enough? Just a thought!

 In the pruning of the Sago, I found a couple of lizard eggs. No worries, they’ve been relocated and covered up with some bamboo leaves. Scale do not eat eggs, but they will destroy their home. When you think about it, our own scale can destroy our home, infect our relationships and land in our friend’s yard, too. Had to stop a minute and ask God to show me my scale...to walk better with Him and I sure don't want to infect y'all!

If left untreated, this Sago would die in a matter of months…from the inside out. The Scale actually suck out the juices from the plant, so the last to go is the outer appearance. Wow, so that analogy needs no explanation, right!?!?! Keeping up appearances is so important to we humans, meanwhile we’re horrible at our own soul care. Or perhaps just in denial, dressing in polka dots to justify our spots?

 

All the polka dot dresses in the world wouldn’t disguise this old tree stump on the other side of the fence! I took a peek at my tree stump friend today...hope you know by now what I saw wasn’t a dead stump  

A few years ago, this tree was tall, full of hackberry seeds and feeding every bird for miles! Now, after we lost it during a hurricane, it is home to some happy lizards and few other creatures, I’m sure!

Starting in Luke 3:23 is the introduction of Jesus into public life. It says,

When Jesus entered public life he was about thirty years old, the son (in public perception) of Joseph, who was…

And then the passage goes on to list the lineage back to Adam, to God. I’m thinking, how many people actually thought thru that list, and instead just saw Joseph’s son standing there. Perception, that was my lesson today in the labyrinth. We would be well served, it would be life-giving to our hearts and to others, to think “it” thru all the way to God…

The way You tell me to live is always right;

help me understand it so I can live to the fullest.

Psalm 119:144