You gotta pull those pesty weeds!
I am somehow, shockingly, developing a bit of a garden display in my front yard. I’m pretty sure this is a clear indication that I am getting old and I am not ready to accept this new revelation. Today with great joy I created my first ever full flower arrangement from my own yard. What fun it was creatively choosing different flowers, textures, colors, and arranging them meticulously in a vase for display on my dining table. I realize the previous sentence makes me sound like a granny (believe me, I hesitated as I wrote that)….but seriously, these old folks may have figured out some sort of therapy that us hip young mama’s are too busy to get!
Isn’t is ppppppppurrrrrrrrtttttttttttttttty?!
After creating the arrangement I decided I’d give the rest of the garden some much needed and previously neglected TLC. You see, while I love the look and smell of the flowers, I really take no joy in pulling weeds. So, I just, welllllllllllll, pretend I don’t see them. And, I just let them be. The thing is, they grow quickly, multiply, and….unforutanenlty spread rapidly. Eventually the weeds have to be dealt with if I want to keep my garden looking pleasant.
As I sat perched on my knees in the blazing sun this afternoon with the torturous task of cleaning up the beds I thought: it would be much easier to do this if I pulled the weeds out regularly. My laziness and neglect had resulted in hundreds of weeds through the garden island. To make matters worse because the weeds had been unattended to for so long– many of them had developed deep roots. Therefore pulling them out became a much more laborious task!
We all have “weeds” in our spiritual lives. Some weeds that regularly pop into my ife are minor hangups, poor habits, and just a wide variety of unhealthy thoughts. It’s tempting to ignore the weeds. Look the other way. Close your eyes. Pretend you don’t realize they are there. Whatever!
The thing is, neglecting the presence of weeds does not absolve their presence. When we don’t notice the weeds they are given permission to thrive! Our disregard allows them to grow deeper roots. Mature weeds also become more resilient if you try to poison them in the future!
Friends– when the weeds pop up in the soil of your life– attend to them! Yank em’ out at first sight! These “harmless little weeds” threaten the brilliant seeds of life that God continues to plant in you…
Trust me, pulling out a bed full of weeds is not an ideal afternoon task….tend to your life garden regularly!