The Tomato Worm

I was probably 7-years-old when it happened. It was summertime and I’d played hard all day. I loved making mud pies; sometimes adding dad’s green tomatoes to create culinary wonders! Dad had a green thumb and had lots of beautiful tomatoes so I never got into too much trouble over chopping one or two. Mom had done laundry and hung clothes on the clothesline to dry. I was her helper—handing her clothespins as she hung each article of clothing on the line. I didn’t mind helping. I loved watching the sheets flap in the breeze and I liked being a helper.  

That night, I fell asleep quickly. Since I was the only girl in the house at the time, I had my own bedroom. I remember hurting and moaning even in my sleep. My arm was hurting. I guess I began whimpering and my dad came into my room and said, “Becky! What’s wrong?” I whimpered and said, “My arm hurts!”  Dad came over and wanted to know where it hurt. He raised my arm and exclaimed, “It’s a tomato worm!” Sure enough, a tomato worm had somehow gotten on my pajamas as they hung on the clothesline and it had crawled under my armpit.  Dad took it and got rid of it and I went back to sleep. 

You know…sin is a lot like that tomato worm. It moves in slowly and insidiously. But once it digs in, there’s pain and and a price to pay. Satan cares nothing about you. We are pawns in his effort to triumph over God. He honestly thinks he’ll win. He delights to entangle us in sin to thumb his nose at God. But God…God is like my dad that night. Just like my dad asked, “What’s wrong?,” God wants us to admit what we’ve done. Then it’s nothing for him to pick up that sin and toss it away so we never see it again. God will win. 

Whose side do we want to be on? If you want to be on God’s side, confess your sin and repent (turn away from sin). Tell him that you choose to follow him. Then follow him. Read his Word (the Bible) and talk to him. Obey him. 

Remember…God WILL win!