WEEDS
Definition: a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially: one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.
We celebrated the first day of spring this past week. We have had a considerable amount of rain, cloudy and cold days in Northern Texas, yet this week Mr. Sun showed up! Sunshine and warmer days brought happiness to this girl’s heart. Yet as I ventured out into my front yard I was soooo disappointed to see the weed and feed we put on the grass last fall seemed to do just that…my yard was covered with various types of weeds, slowly choking out our beautiful Bermuda grass. Ugh…I pulled all those pesky little plants from my flower beds, put another layer of mulch and sprayed our lawn hoping the rain would hold off a few more days and praying the spray would kill those weeds this time. I love working in the yard, it feeds my soul, nothing like digging in the dirt and watching the earth worms squirm back into the rich soil. This last weekend, I actually found a den of garden snakes still hibernating from old man winter. Precious memories flooded over me thinking about my childhood in Southeast Colorado. Grandpa Charlie would spend hours upon hours doing yard work and in the spring planting his vegetable garden by hand. My Grandpa Jack actually farmed…spring was always the time for tilling the soil and then planting and he took pride in creating a very straight row from behind the tractor wheel and watching the plow cultivate the rich soil and creating a furrow so folks could admire while driving down Highway 287.
Maybe that is why the weeds in my front yard bothered me so bad. I was taught to have a sense of pride, we work hard for what we have and need to take very good care it. Others may consider it to be proper curb appeal. Yet those pesky little weeds just showed up…I didn’t plant them, I didn’t nurture nor did I cultivate them…in fact I took an extra step last fall to limit the potential of having them…yet they appeared uninvited and seemed to be multiplying by the minute. I was visiting a friend in a fairly prestige’s area of Dallas as I got out of my car I had to laugh she had those pesky little weeds growing in the cracks of her concrete too! Made me feel a bit better we all have weeds to deal with!
As I was sipping on my cup of Teavana Dragonwell Green Tea this morning during my quiet time and reflecting on my dilemma with the weeds in my yard, I suddenly realized not only do we have weeds in our yards and the cracks in the cement we also have weeds in our daily lives as humans! Think about it for just a minute…what weeds (challenges) do you have that may be choking you from living your life to the fullest?
Perhaps they are bad behaviors, habits, little white lies, or unhealthy daily patterns. It could very easily be a thought in our mind or procrastination of doing or saying something. It is specific to each individual. Each person has a certain weakness inherent within which means the weed can be a different thing for each person but the effects can be just as harmful. It starts small and you may not even realize it is a weed at first. Take a dandelion for example, as a child you see the fuzzy little head and how tempted we are to make a wish and blow the seeds into the air…yet each one of those little seeds will land and cultivate in the form another weed it grows into a vibrant yellow flower yet it is still a weed.
Weeds in our lives may be certain books you read, or movies you watch, people you hang out with. You are truly innocent at first yet the content begins to play in your mind, perhaps they are not the most appropriate and the more you feed your mind of these things the more they take control. Before you know it a little cuss word slips out of your mouth, social drinking becomes more of a daily habit, a little flirting thinking it was all in fun can go way too far, over indulge in eating or perhaps gossip is your downfall and envy takes root! Temptation, competition, negativity, lies, control…we all are guilty in some form or fashion.
What are we to do about these weeds? Be careful to not just yank the top off, you must dig deep and pull the weed from the roots. Once you pull the root up it will definitely leave a hole so one must find positive resources to fill that hole or another weed will quickly start to grow back. In other words find the root cause of the weed that is growing and make changes, ask for help or hire a professional weed control (a counselor or coach) to help you with that endeavor. This is where my faith in God helps me by reading his word, my daily devotional, meditation and prayer time. I can also be encouraged through a weekly Bible study, attending church and general fellowship with other believers. Please don’t be discouraged or give up as you are not alone…we all have weeds we have to contend with in our life.
Some weeds are meant to grow with the good seedlings…in fact scripture is very clear Matthew 13:24-30 is the parable of the Weeds.
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds[a] among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants[b] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
God sometimes plants us among the weeds to be an example to others and make us depend upon him more. There are seasons that are meant to be. Be strong, be faithful, be consistent, be bold!
As you are “Takin Time Out” this week, maybe it is time to take a look at the weeds in your garden of life…what changes or challenges do you want to change? I know I have my list and am working steadily to find the root causes and pull them up…filling them with rich soil to help produce a more positive outcome…Until next time my friend enjoy the season of Spring, identifying your weeds and pulling them up one root at a time and know each day is a gift and one we can begin again…
*******************************************************