How to Pull Weeds

How to Pull Weeds

A few of my friends state that I am a little insane due to the fact that I like doing lawn work. Although it is a lot like household chores (never ever totally finished), there is a great deal of satisfaction in leaving a flower bed after having rid it of weeds and letting the plants that we really wish to see program through. Obviously, if it is not done on a constant basis, the weeds really do gain the edge. Then, instead of loving backyard work, I find myself wishing for an easy way to produce the outcome I desire. Since yet, I have not discovered a herbicide that will discriminate between what I want and what I don't want, so I am the one who requires to make the judgment and take out the undesirable development one by one.

As I operate in my flower beds, I frequently review the fact that Jesus provided many illustrations using seeds, trees, fruit, plants, sowing, pruning and gaining. As a result of the fall, the ground was cursed and work ended up being an effort instead of a delight (Genesis 3:17 -19). There stays, nevertheless, the beauty of God's creation all around us. If we are privileged enough to have the stewardship of a plot of earth in which we can sow and enjoy, then we partner with God in His garden enterprise.

In my garden, I have experienced a range of weeds. A few of them have a single root. If that weed is taken out by the root, wonderful! If not, it will come back. Others have complex root systems that make them next to impossible to pull out. They must be dug out. In those cases, I keep in mind that the Lord stated that He was going to leave the tares and the wheat to grow together, and do the weeding at the end of time (Matthew 13). In some cases I make a similar choice. I will handle those weeds again and again in order to save the good plants that are growing close to them.

The task of weeding reminds me of sin. Possibly you, like me, have found that weeding, like ridding your life of sin, involves the following.

oWeeding is backbreaking work. If I don't stay alert and "prayed up," sin keeps coming back. If I don't stay up to date with the weeding, the weeds overtake the garden. Caution is the key!

oIt helps if the weeds can be brought up by the roots. If possible, it is best to stop sin at its source. For example, my nature is to worry and be afraid of unidentified scenarios. That is the opposite of faith. When fear raises its unsightly head in my life, I have to go back to the basics: trusting God! As my husband says, "Worry and faith can not inhabit the same space."

oSometimes I need help. The job of weeding is a bit frustrating sometimes, particularly since my other half and I travel much of the year. Sometimes my other half, a good friend or a next-door neighbor will sit with me and help me pull out weeds. Also, an accountability partner can often discover an area that is upseting to God that I have ignored.

oWeeding is much easier if the soil is soft or damp. If you ever tried to pull weeds in tough, dry soil, you know how difficult it can be. Likewise, it is much easier to get rid of sin when it is fresh and recognizable as sin. The longer sin is delegated solidify in our lives, the more difficult it is to eliminate.

I started this post by talking about just how much I like to see new growth and flowers in my garden. That is how I wish to end it also. Weeding, both in my garden and in my life, is well worth it.

As I observe the flowers in my garden, I am advised that a garden is not simply one flower. It is many flowers. You and I belong to a big garden that God has actually planted.

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