Cactus cue
I finally made up my mind even though I had been thinking about this for quite some time.
My decision that I had been wavering on was to eliminate my prickly pear cactus bed from the yard because it was a little dangerous to work around.
I could not get near it without coming away with cactus spines stuck in my hands or wherever it touched me.
Now it had grown from one or two small cactuses to a bed measuring about 7 feet by 10 feet.
And I did enjoy it over the years especially when it bloomed, but it also had this major drawback of the little spines that quickly attached to my hand or whatever part of my body that touched it.
And especially if I touched it unexpectedly, I got quite a jolt. After finally making my decision, I used a shovel to remove the cactus and tried to be very careful not to touch any part of the cactus, but I was not completely successful.
After all cactuses were out, I soon realized that the cactus still had the last word.
It had managed to stick tiny hair-like barbed spines (or glochids, as they are called) into my hands and fingers. I tried pulling them out, but that didn’t work, so I looked up online how to remove them.
Different methods included using tweezers, glue, duct tape, or panty hose to remove the spines and witch hazel or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect.
The most effective in a test run seemed to be using tweezers to remove clumps of spines followed by a thin layer of glue covered with gauze, which was allowed to dry and then peeled off to remove individual spines.
I tried pulling them out on the spot which was the wrong method, but they have eventually worked themselves out, I think.
Sometimes in life, I have to eliminate other things also if they are hurting me like a bad habit or negative thinking.
And relying on God to help me is the most effective removal method I have found.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 WEB)
Love in Jesus,
God’s “cactus-eliminating” servant,
Liz Ray
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