Squash bugs...the name just naturally lends itself to "squashing bugs," don't you think?! I've actually not been squashing too many of them. Instead, I have developed a better plan for dealing with the little critters bent on destroying my plants.
Earlier in the summer, I tried using Neem Oil to get rid of the pests, and it did a pretty good job killing off the little ones. The big ones, however, seem to be wrapped in some pretty tough armor, adding new meaning to the phrase, "thick-skinned."
I still use the Neem Oil every other week, but the rest of the time, my plan is simple. Kill as many of them as I can, before they destroy my crop. They're avid feeders, killing plants within just a few days. The bugs suck the juices from the stem, causing the plant to wilt and the fruit to rot on the vine. Miserable, I say...just miserable.
So, to fight an infestation of these bugs, you have to have a plan...and I do! First of all, when I see any bug eggs, I immediately tear off the portion of the leaf they're on and shove it into my container of soapy water. Sounds simple, right? Well, it's not as easy as it sounds. The bugs are smart and most of the time, they lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves to protect them. So I can't just rely on removing the ones I see at first glance. I have to turn the leaves over, as well as check the base of the plant. Doing this requires some patience and fortitude, because squash plants have a rough outer covering, that can cause itching and burning of the skin.
After I have sufficiently found as many eggs as I can, I flood the base of the plant with water. In a few seconds, the adult bugs who spend most of their time hiding in the mulch, scramble to get to higher ground, so they can breathe. At that point, I meticulously pick them off one by one (yes, I know this sounds gross, but they don't bite and it's me or them!) and put them in my container of soapy water. After I've done this, I go back and check the plants again, because sometimes the squash bugs will climb to the very top of the plant to dry out after getting soaked.
This morning, while doing this, a thought came to me - I should seek out the sin in my life and destroy it, as desperately as I seek out and destroy these bugs. Doing that will take time, patience, energy, focus, sacrifice, and diligence. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that seeking out sin is not Biblical. Scripture does tell us to confess our sin and be forgiven (I John 1:9), but as far as "seeking sin," I just couldn't find any ground to support that thought.
However, I did find something else along the same lines. Instead of "seeking" my sin, the Word tells me to "seek" God. Over and over again, I came across verses like Deut. 4:29 which says, But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul and Lamentations 3:25 which says, The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,to the soul who seeks Him.
When I seek after God - when I spend time getting to know Him - when I use my time, patience, energy, focus, sacrifice, and diligence to find Him - He will show me the dark, hidden things in my life that need to be removed and destroyed. HE will reveal my sin, so that I can confess, be forgiven and bear much fruit. If I just focus on getting rid of my sin without focusing my eyes on the Savior, sure, I might find a few obvious trespasses here or there, but the dark, hidden things will stay covered. By focusing on God and building my relationship with Him - by seeking Him with everything that I am - the dark, hidden things will surface automatically...things that I never could have found in my own seeking.
So, I challenge myself and you too, Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon Is. 55:6-7.
Dearest Jesus, give me the determination and desire to focus completely on You...to seek after You with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength...to spend time (lots of time)in Your Word, getting to know You. And then, Lord, may I repent of the sin that surfaces and be forgiven. Thank You, Lord that You will bring light to the darkness. I praise You, Jesus. I praise You.
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