The other day I was reading about a plant in Brazil, which forest-dwellers call the "matador," or "murderer."The matador works this way: when the matador's vine meets a vigorous tree, it clamps on and climbs up. As the plant grows larger, it shoots out tendrils that surround the tree, grow thicker, and clasp tighter.
The matador grows beautifully, but it does so at the cost of killing its host.
Then, when the matador has reached maturity, it puts forth a huge, flowery head above the strangled tree's top. Soon the murderous plant scatters its seeds on the rainforest floor and the process of death begins again.
I've seen peoples' sins and problems do the same thing.
via lhm.org
Being a Brazilian plant, it caught my eye. But the application is good, too. Read it all, always aware, of course, that it's a denominational website.