Today I made the decision that this was going to be the day that I tackled weeding the flowerbeds around the house. I actually began the process of pulling out the weeds last week trying to get them so they would look decent. Now, let me tell you- I am not gifted, at all, in the landscaping field. I enjoy having a beautiful yard with flowerbeds and a great landscape. I do not, however, enjoy being the one to make it happen. I am thankful that my sweet husband does enjoy this job and he does great work. Unfortunately for me, he has been working long hours the last eight weeks, so I felt it was time to pull on my polka-dot boots, gather my gardening gloves, and with hoe in hand trudge out to begin the tedious task at hand.
Every year I beg Pat to plant a garden and I promise that I will take care of it, believing that I will, when I make the promise. But, as a few weeks pass, so does my excitement and I allow the weeds to take over. I have looked at my flowerbeds for the last several weeks knowing the work that needed to be done but lacked the determination and desire needed to accomplish the work. Just look at that poor flowerbed. It has been pleading with me for help for weeks. So, regardless of the bees buzzing around me letting me know they are not happy with my intrusion into their territory, I am going to remove the weeds from this area to allow the beautiful plants and bushes to be seen in all their glorious splendor.
Once I began the work, I discovered that because I had let the weeds remain so long, removing them was extremely hard. The roots of those weeds were pretty deep and quite strong. It also became incredibly hard to tell where the beautiful plant was in the midst of them. As I fought to remove the weeds but save the plant, I began to think about the similarities of my walk with God and the need to be careful of the "weeds" I allow in my life. Weeds surround the plant and before long it doesn't stand out or look any different than what surrounds it. I thought about how God repeatedly told the Israelites to not be pulled into the pagan cultures around them because He knew they would be led away from Him and right into sin. They would miss the blessed life He had for them if they refused to live separate from those around them. I find that battle still exists for us today. As Followers of Christ, we are called to "come out from among them and be separate" (2 Corinthians 6:17 NKJV). Weeds also like to choke out the beauty of the plant. In Mark 4 we read about the Parable of the Sower and in verses 18&19 we are told "Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful (NIV). We must be careful that we watch for the weeds that will make our own lives unfruitful. What might those weeds be? They could be anything that contradicts what God has spoken to us in His Word, such as a relationship that has not been good for me, but I have tried to hold on to. We really do need to be careful of the company we keep. According to 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Bad company corrupts good character." Weeds are also attitudes and behaviors that I refuse to change and words that I speak that do not bring glory to God. They are also lifestyle choices that I refuse to let go of, even though God has spoken against them in His Word. When my life has become unfruitful it is time to get the hoe out and begin digging for the weeds that I have allowed to grow and begin the process of pulling them out.
So even though I have bees buzzing around threatening me with attack for trespassing, thousands of angry ants running in every direction because I have disturbed their home, and I have been startled by some ugly spiders along with the uncomfortable task of being sweaty and gross, I will press on to bring this flowerbed back to the beautiful state I know it was meant to be. I find it encouraging to know that we can do the same in our walk with the Lord. We can resist the temptation to give in to the bees that buzz around telling us that we don't belong and the angry ants and the scary spiders that don't like the interruptions and try to scare us into submission. It is worth it to me to get a little uncomfortable during the process of pulling out the weeds that do not belong in my life. I want to be the beautiful plant that God intended for me to be, don't you? When people see me, I want them to see the beauty of Christ as He was meant to be seen. Not just glimpses of Him every now and then, but always. That can only happen when I become diligent in my weeding. Well, it is time to get back to work.
So even though I have bees buzzing around threatening me with attack for trespassing, thousands of angry ants running in every direction because I have disturbed their home, and I have been startled by some ugly spiders along with the uncomfortable task of being sweaty and gross, I will press on to bring this flowerbed back to the beautiful state I know it was meant to be. I find it encouraging to know that we can do the same in our walk with the Lord. We can resist the temptation to give in to the bees that buzz around telling us that we don't belong and the angry ants and the scary spiders that don't like the interruptions and try to scare us into submission. It is worth it to me to get a little uncomfortable during the process of pulling out the weeds that do not belong in my life. I want to be the beautiful plant that God intended for me to be, don't you? When people see me, I want them to see the beauty of Christ as He was meant to be seen. Not just glimpses of Him every now and then, but always. That can only happen when I become diligent in my weeding. Well, it is time to get back to work.
After I finished for the day I pulled up my Scrabble game to see if it was my turn in any of my games. It was my turn and guess what word my Scrabble buddy had just played? Weed. Isn't God funny?
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