Today’s focus was on designing the front of the log rock garden. To be totally honest, the design is trial and error … a step at a time. I really don’t know what the end result will look like, but I have a “picture idea” in my mind what it could look like. I needed to remove the existing perforated bricks (one hole with cutaway corners), level the soil, put down some plastic and then terrace stack the bricks so that there are three levels. There are two sets of these, totaling 54 bricks each with three large square slabs in between them.
I used the existing sand as a foundation for stability and then mixed potting soil and compost together and filled up the three levels of holes to plant smaller plants in them. During this operation, I found a good number of earthworms. When we were children, we called them “wriggle worms”. There were thin ones and fat ones, but what struck me was that there were two rather large earthworms. They were at least 150 cm long. When you lift them up, they wriggle madly. It’s as if their heads and trails were clapping together.
I did a little checking about the benefits of earthworms and found that:
Earthworms feed on plant debris (dead roots, leaves, grasses, manure) and soil. Their digestive system concentrates the organic and mineral constituents in the food they eat, so their casts are richer in available nutrients than the soil around them.
Nitrogen in the casts is readily available to plants. …
Earthworm castings are an ideal organic amendment/fertilizer with greatly increased nutrient solubility compared to the organic materials they originated from. Castings are particularly rich in phosphorus which stimulates seedling and root growth and extension.
Wow … I knew earthworms were good for the soil, but I was not aware of just how important. Isn’t our God amazing? He even provides armies of earthworms to care for the soil so that we can have better soil and with better soil we can have better crops!
When the Bible refers to “worm or worms”, it is always in the negative. For example, we find a picture painted in the Bible of an “eternal worm”:
Isa 66:24 “And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Mk 9:43 “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”
In both these references, “worm” is used as continual eating at the body just as the fires of hell never burns out. Any sensible person who hears the Gospel and reads the Bible ought to quickly comes across such passages and decide to follow Jesus immediately. Surely that was the intent of the Holy Spirit as He inspired both Isaiah and Mark!
We also find a picture painted of an evil person behaving like a worm.
2Ti 3:6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.
“Worm” used in this context provides a picture of a worm that tries every movement to get into its intended destination … an evil person uses the same strategy to manipulated and eventually control people who are not as quick or sly or perhaps are very vulnerable.
Another picture is of a person who is classed as a worm by himself or by others!
Ps 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
Calling himself a worm reflects the Psalmist’s feelings about himself. He sees himself in a pit of despair, and although he seems to be reaching out to God his personal analysis of himself is so low that he feels like a worm groveling in the sand!
Although these three illustrations are presented in the negative, a Christian may not allow these pictures to portray personal life and living. We need to learn from the earthworm whose life is bent on making the soil a better quality for the production of better crops to bless people with healthy food. We can have a positive influence over those we mix with. Jenny and I were with a lady tonight who has a wonderful personality and character. She has a positive spirit. As God’s people, that is exactly how we need to influence the souls we meet up with. We must cause an atmosphere where in people can thrive to be better, especially spiritually!
Dear God, thank you for the mostly unseen earthworm. Forgive me for taking so many things for granted. Help me to learn lessons from the way the earthworm is a blessing to the soil so that I might be a blessing to the people I come into contact with on a daily basis. So many need encouragement and uplifting. Here I am as Your servant to be the blessing to others the way You want me to be. For Jesus’ sake, amen.