I just finished up writing today's devotion: "But I am a worm, and no man" and I wanted to shed more light onto how the whole idea of looking at a earthworm in a spiritual way came about. My 7 year old need to grow some things from seeds for science, and while we were picking out the seeds he wanted to grow (he chose sunflowers, and had to also grow lima beans), my 4 year old also wanted to pick out seeds, he chose peas, and not wanting to miss out on anything my 2 year old wanted carrots...My ten year old wasn't with me that day, she must have been at a friends house, but I digress...we got home and realized I didn't have any potting soil, and because we live in a place that winter could strike on any given day of the year, (without warning I might add), I realized I should start them in the house, my ten year old came to the store with me. While we were at the store she also chose seeds, zucchini, and I grabbed some lettuce and onion seeds, and a green house thing for starting seeds in your home. We planted our seeds the next day, and over the week things began to sprout and I needed to start relocating our little seedlings to make room...now some of the lettuce, the zucchini and carrots are in big pots by my kitchen french door windows, everything else is in a hodgepodge of "planters" in my kitchen window. Well, I am using organic soil, because of my 4 year old's various food allergies, and it donned on me that I needed to do something to help my soil, *ding*, night crawlers...of course!Well, when I told the kids my great idea I was met with a barrage of questions...I gave the teacher/mom explanation met with we will look it up online when we get home from the store. As I ran errands they asked me more questions about the worms, my 10 year old was completely grossed out and never going to eat vegetables again if they all had "worm poop" on them...I was kind of feeling like I wasn't giving that great of an explanation... I kept telling them all creatures can only poop out what they have eaten, and if worms are only eating organic soils and the like, then that is what they poop out, only after the poop it out it is "supercharged". I ran my errands, and our last stop was to purchase our new "pets", our little helpers, the night crawlers.
My 7 year old was the only one besides myself that was brave enough to handle our slimy little friends, but they all seemed fascinated watching the slithering critters. After the night crawlers had disappeared until dark, I pulled up some info on the web for my dear children to see that I was telling them the truth about the good things earthworms do for gardens...and it was amazing how I felt led to use earth worms as an example of God's providence, after all when Adam and Eve were first in the garden, before the fall, there was no death, no decay...so how would the grounds be fertilized...God created earth worms to tend the underneath of the garden!
Of course the realization that God provided Adam and Eve with garden helpers, led to more intense ponderings in my mind...and was able to realize that worms, normally given a bad rap throughout the Bible and are mostly associated with hell, are actual spiritual examples to how we should walk our Christian walk. Check out this paragraph that I found at http://ipm.montana.edu/YardGarden/docs/earthworms-insect.htm:
Earthworms also break down thatch and the other the raw materials of organic matter, and spread it evenly throughout the top 12 inches of soil, further improving the soil. Millions of beneficial bacteria that break down thatch are produced in the gut of earthworms. These bacteria, along with a superior fertilizer produced by earthworms, are put into the soil with earthworm "castings". This top quality fertilizer contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and many micronutrients in a form all plants can use. Earthworm castings contain five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus, 11 times more potassium, and 1,000 times more beneficial bacteria than the material contained before the earthworm ingested it. In a 10 x 20 foot garden with only five earthworms per cubic foot of soil, over 35 pounds of this superior fertilizer is produced by the earthworms. In healthy soil with nightcrawler populations of 25 per cubic foot of soil, more than 170 pounds of the highest grade fertilizer will be produced in a year in a 10 x 20 foot garden. This is more than 18.5 tons per acre per year. Gardening supply companies sell earthworm castings as fertilizer for about $12-$25 per pound. Earthworms can also help change alkaline or acid soil toward a desirable neutral pH over time.We should be like earthworms, and we should teach our children to be that way too, we need to give back more than we take in. Ingest the Word of God, and fertilize the soils around us so that the seeds and others plant can grow and be harvested.
Worms, get a bad rap, but they do some really cool things that we have all benefited from without even realizing it. They are simple looking, slithery and slimy, but God uses them to get a very important job done. if God has a purpose for an earthworm, how much more do you think He has a purpose for your life outside of and in the motherhood.
Originally posted in my original Life in the Motherhood Blog on November 18th, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment