Weeds

Weeds

The other day we had a church workday at the...well...at the church. (Where else would you have a church workday?). One of the jobs that was given to me throughout the day was to pull weeds. Ha...one of my favorite jobs....not...but it made me think. (and if you're part of my family you are probably thinking: uh-oh...LOL...don't worry...it's a good thing this time....I think)

Have you ever noticed that weeds can grow anywhere??? They are the most annoying of all plants...and they pop up in the most annoying places...normally right where you want to plant that garden of daffodils. They grow without you feeding, watering, or caring for them. I mean seriously is there any other plant that lives for our despising looks and lethal chemical concoctions? Most PEOPLE couldn't survive the way we treat the weeds that grow in our gardens. I wonder if they would die if we were to constantly water and care for them.

While we were picking weeds the phrase on everybodies lips was: Make sure you get the roots. Why the roots? Well, they say (although I couldn't say if it's true), that weeds can regrow from those roots. It doesn't matter how many stems and leaves you pull off the top. It doesn't matter if you can't see anything above ground, if the roots are under there...hey...it's gonna come back!!!

Is that the way it is in our spiritual life/garden? Wait, what???? Yep, weeds in our spiritual lives. You know those things that pop up right where you want to plant your daffodils of good works. You've just cleaned a big area in repentance, God has given us the courage to change, and you walk out to that big cleared out area...and right smack-dab in the middle is a big clump of grassy weed of stubbornness...or...well...you fill in the blank. Most of us at this point just want to scream!!! I mean, do you know how hard it is, sometimes, to weed those things out in repentance?!?!?!?!? Ummmm...like I said....it's everyones favorite job! Ha

Before we go on...let's break this down. What are some types of weeds in our lives?? I will give you a personal example. I have this thing called dreams. LOL I am pretty sure most of us...at least the girls...have those. I believe that God gave us the ability and the permission to dream...but...we have to be careful with those. Because sometimes there are moments when those dreams don't intersect with the divine plan of God for our lives. Then it becomes a weed. When you get ready to plant that I-will-wait-on-the-Lord seed there is that weed of but-I've-always-dreamed and... Yep, there it is rearing it's head. So what do we do???

Pull it out! Oh, and where do we pull it out?? Come on...don't tell me you've already forgotten. HAHAHAHA Pull it out by he roots. It's not enough to get most of it. It's not enough get all that's on top. See we learn to pull the most obvious parts so that nobody can see...but underneath the roots are still there. It may be unseen for the moment...but when you least expect it...POP...there it comes up again!!!!

Another thing about weeding...it isn't a one time job...unfortunately. It isn't enough to go over it once...sometimes you gotta go back and do it again. Many times just because it is hard we don't do it. It takes too much work and it's just a little weed anyway. Ok, leave it a couple of weeks and THEN try to pull it up. It's already ten times harder to get rid of it. If you have the it's-too-much-work mentality, then you'll never pull it out and it will take over your garden...or your life.

There is one good side to the continual weeding. If you don't have weeds...then the good works (or daffodils) that you've planted can grow. When there are no weeds in your life, then your good works...or even the Holy Ghost doesn't have to fight to live and be seen in your life.

So, in closing, it's not in vain. The weeding will pay off. Don't give up. Rather, when you see your little daffodils starting to fade away...HEY...hurry and get out there and weed!!

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