an Army of ants

The hard times, the trials, are God-intended for our good. A cliché phrase perhaps, and one often shared as encouragement for lack of other/better words during those very times of trial. And it is a truth we only come to respect once on the other side.

A couple of weeks ago, the hibiscus plants along the road by our house were attacked by leaf-cutter ants. To see the ant army marching down the mountain straight for the bushes, would be better to call it a vicious attack. They were swift. They were efficient, and they were absolutely completely total in wiping out the poor plant of anything green. It hurt to watch. You could look around and see a mountain of green to satisfy the ants and yet, for some reason they had chosen our hibiscus plants. Having stripped the branches of anything green, the army then disappeared, moved on to some other poor unsuspecting plant. But true as the cliché, within days, no more than a week, we noticed green starting to return to the plant. The branches sprouted and grew green, flourishing as only is possible after a destruction such as what we had just witnessed. What struck me most was the symbiosis of the whole process. Almost as if the hibiscus had willingly offered up it's leaves knowing it was for the benefit of the ants and when taken they would grow again. In the end, it was for the flourishment of all parties involved. It was natural. It was growth. It was beautiful.

Green returning to the branches of the hibiscus plants!

Today, I'm especially grateful for the recent reminder of this truth, as Jake left for Siguatepeque to start his two weeks of immersion Spanish.

Am I being dramatic? Perhaps. If watching Jake leave on an adventure without me and being separated for two weeks is the worst of trials, I recognize we are blessed. I pray for the flourishing that this trial may bring.

Much Love.