Remember that old commercial where the guy says "Can I just say a word about ... and then he dramatically lowers his voice, looks around and sighs ... diarrhea"? Well that's how I feel when I say - Can I just say a word about (looking around and whispering) - weeds?
I love to pull weeds. Yeah, I know - that's going to verify my certifiable insanity to a lot of you. But I can't help it, I do! I love to pull weeds. It's one of my favorite parts of tending my flower beds. Before I go any further let me qualify my statement. Every time I say I like to pull weeds, I am inundated with offers from others to come clean their flower beds. Now, while I truly appreciate your gracious generosity, girlfriends, please don't offer. The number of flower beds I have gives me all the weed pulling enjoyment I need. So, thanks anyway, but I must decline outside offers from others. Giggle - giggle!
Here's the reason I love to pull weeds. Every time I do, God has a wealth of wisdom to share with me regarding the comparisons of the weeds I'm pulling with the sin(s) in my life. Here are a few of the things He's taught me in the last couple of years:
- Have you ever noticed how much easier weeds are to pull out when the ground is soft and pliable? Sin can be plucked from our lives a lot easier when our hearts are soft and pliable too.
- Most weeds can be removed more easily if they are first soaked with water. Sin gets weeded out of our lives much easier when we are washed with the water of the Word.
- Weeds grow more easily than the plants. So does sin. We have to make a concerted effort towards godliness but sin is ever ready to pop up in our lives. It requires little to no effort to sin!
- It's hard to remove weeds without getting on your knees. Regular time on our knees in prayer helps remove sin from our lives.
- Some weeds pull out easily - roots and all. So do some sins.
- Other weeds break off at ground level leaving their roots and grow back quickly. ARGH - lots of sins do that too. That's why we find ourselves doing the same things over and over.
- Weed removal takes patience. It's when we try to hurry that, most often, we break the root beneath the soil, guaranteeing its reemergence. Don't rush the process. And don't rush the process of weeding sin from your life either or you might not get the "roots."
- Removing weeds by hand requires a delicate balance of gentleness and firmness - gently loosening, firmly removing. There are sins that need a gentle loosening before they can be firmly removed also.
- Some weeds only come out when you dig deep and pry them loose. There are sins that mimic the same stubborn reluctance. It's really hard to pry them loose. But it's worth the work.
- Some weeds are pretty. Some of the ones I've pulled lately have had beautiful little yellow, soft blue, and pale pick flowers. Hallie loves to make little bouquets out of them. But even if they are pretty, do we want to leave them in our flower beds? I think not. They steal nutrients from the soil and inhibit the fruitfulness of our plants. There are sins that may not look too bad in our lives as well. They may even look attractive to the world. But, oh my! They rob our lives of the best God intends for us.
- Weeds may look innocent or even beautiful when they are small, but if you let them go, they grow dry and ugly. Isn't the same true with the progressive nature of sin in our lives. It may look innocent at first. But when it's full grown, it sure is ugly!
- Some weeds are disguised. There is a weed that looks almost identical to the stems and leaves on Texas Blanket Flowers. It's hard to know if it's the Blanket Flowers spreading or a weed popping up. I really have to look at all the subtleties of the plant. It takes discernment to uproot the right sprout. It's the same way with some of our sins. We have to be discerning enough to see the subtleties and recognize the sin.
- Some weeds are snugglers. They pop up right beside the base of a plant and snuggle close; hiding beneath it's shelter and protection. Some of our sins do the same thing. They snuggle close to a good attribute and think we won't notice them if they hide there.
- Some weeds are impostors. They are bold and poke their noses up in the air and grow tall with a haughty spirit. Sometimes, because I'm looking at the soil for small, low growing weeds, I don't even notice them until they are as tall as the plants. Aren't there sins that do the same thing . . . grow tall before we even notice them because they are looking like a "good" thing.
- Careful attention to weeds at the early, critical season prevents multiplication and makes for a lovelier garden. Careful and early attention to the "little foxes of sin" in our lives will make for a lovelier more Spirit-filled life.
Well, that's just some of my musings about weeds, sweet sisters. What about you? What has God taught you about weeds?
Happy - and HOLY - gardening!
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