Biting the Flies that Breed you

The death-knell has sounded for my venus fly-trap. This wonderful, carnivorous plant has been fed flies and rainwater all summer. Then it grew a stalk, and then another. A wise gardener would have cut them immediately. Instead, I let them grow. They now bear flowers. Unfortunately, the plant will invest so much energy into producing these blooms that it is unlikely to recover. I’ll confess, it’s not the prettiest flower I've ever seen, but then what can one expect from a diet of dead insects.

The plant’s behaviour struck me as rather ironic- and not just the notion that its desire to reproduce will result in its own suicide. Rather, it is expecting flies to come along and consume its nectar, carrying its precious pollen to other flowers. Only a few weeks ago, it was attracting flies in order to devour them. It relies upon these creatures to reproduce but spends most of its life gobbling them up. It reminds me of that proverb: to ‘bite that hand that feeds you’. Its origins are unknown, but it is recorded in the 18th century, when political writer Edmund Burke said “having looked to government for bread, on the first scarcity they will turn and bite the hand that fed them.” 

The God of Heaven providentially provides food, warmth and all good things to the human race. Yet how few acknowledge Him? How many seek His blessing and benevolence but ignore His commands? How many demand that He hears their prayers but they themselves pointedly ignore His word?