Naked Plants

I have several plants on my front porch that I have tenderly cared for all year. Since we haven't had rain, we have watered them every day and tried to keep them healthy. Imagine my surprise one day to arrive home from the grocery store and see them all stripped of their leaves! A line of leaf cutter ants from my plants to the hole in the ground showed me the culprits.

I was reminded of the promise of God for me this year, that I would see fruit in my ministry... I have seen lots of results this year of prayers, time investments, etc. The thing is, I have also seen people stripped away of everything they had believed. They are still alive spiritually, but barely. Like my plants, they now need extra care as they try to rebuild their lives.

I can't say that leaf cutter ants are from the devil, God made them. So are the trials in our lives that strip us naked of our leaves. We will recover, it will be difficult, but it's God's pruning to allow us to grow even more.