You may not be a gardener, however, you probably know something about weeds. The more you are able to connect with the joys and challenges of gardening the more productive the fruit of your life will be. From the beginning in the garden of choices until our last breath our lives are linked to the concept of sowing and reaping, I think it is prudent to examine the never-ending weeds.

Hands in the Soil

This week while spending time at the home of one of my daughters I had the idea to go out and pull some weeds. One might say that I was pretty bored, but that was where my thoughts took me. I gathered the proper tools and headed outside to work in the cool of the morning, before the direct sun would make my chore unbearable.

I thought about the time when I was a young girl and my Aunt Beulah asked me to go out in her flowerbed and pull weeds. I remembered her saying something like, “I don’t know if you’ll want to do this but auntie could really use some help.” She took me outside to explain. Probably around 10 years of age at the time, I had so much fun! I enjoyed making a better home for her beautiful roses.

I was elated when I was finished and my aunt was so happy to have the weeds removed. It was not until much later, as an adult that I remember taking on that type of task again. Part of what I enjoyed about weeding is it allows much time for thinking and you can see immediate progress.

On another occasion I went into my own garden to remove a plant that I had tired of, only to find the task was not as simple as I first thought. Generally I am not one with my hands in soil, neither am I known for my green thumb, yet I delight in the beauty of flowers and plants. Each time I have ventured into the area involving flora I have gotten some rhema (word of revelation that speaks directly to us, from God).

All through the Bible there are various examples of the agrarian culture producing life lessons for us all. These lessons expose the love of God, and His intentional way of allowing us to learn from anything. He is the best special needs teacher. If we are not in a city with high speed Wi-Fi He gives us the opportunity to learn from being on a farm, or in a garden. He loves us so very much!

Waning Resolve

On this particular day in sunny California I found myself engaged in the task of removing the encroaching weeds from the beautiful, succulent, green, ground cover, in my daughter’s yard. First, I found the clay like soil to be denser than I expected. Next, I found that the weeds were able to intertwine so closely with the desired plants they frequently had to be untangled.

The repetitive motions required to remove the motley assortment of weeds was becoming a bit tiresome. I had systematized my path, the use of the tools and my motions to accomplish my task efficiently.  After only about 30 minutes into working on the small mound I had targeted I became warmer than I had expected.

I began to think of how I would either plan to finish tomorrow or perhaps some other future session. Generally, I am a finisher. I tend to strive for excellence, set my own standards and take on formidable tasks. I have learned lessons recently about acknowledging my own boundaries and honoring God’s voice first, which brings me to my lesson about never-ending weeds.

Just as I was about to pack-up my tools a woman walking through the neighborhood approached. She saw what I was doing, smiled and said, “The never-ending weeds!” Probably my daughter’s neighbor, I had not met her before. I smiled, nodded and she went on her way as I thought about what she said.

I realized that she must have a history with weeding herself. She undoubtedly knew that this task, although complete for the moment would need to be frequently revisited. She acknowledged and encouraged me during the brief encounter. As I reflected in that moment I realized how much the exchange meant to me.

Truly that moment of connection helped me! The smiling, blonde woman, ignited thoughts that fueled my internal motivation. I found myself tremendously energized following that encounter. I continued to work until I finished the entire area. The sun did not seem to be as hot, the monotony lessened, my determination increased.

My Rhema

I got a chance to meditate on my rhema word for the day. In the Word it says in Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (KJV)

So as long as we are on earth there will be seedtime and harvest. That means as long as we are here we will experience sowing seed, growth and harvesting of the fruit. We ourselves are seeds from the loins of our parents. Our very actions are seeds as well, what we sow will yield a harvest.

As we sow our seeds in life there will be weeds, never-ending weeds. We get to choose what we sow. As we sow, the weeds will come. The encroachment of noxious weeds endangers the precious seeds we endeavor to sow.

We have the responsibility and choice to abate those things that will attempt to decrease our productivity, crowd out love, and impede abundant harvest. Those choices will continually be part of our lives, like never-ending weeds. When we think we have removed them all, more will appear. The ones we thought were uprooted somehow seem to regenerate. New noxious varieties appear where there seemed to be no threat.

When we have encouragement from others along the way, especially those that have experienced similar encroachments we can gain energy from their experiences. When we see others battling the never-ending weeds we can encourage them by acknowledging that we understand they are working through the process too.

Empathy is a function of love. Choose to draw on the strength of Love as you battle the never-ending weeds. Be encouraged, we will have tribulation, however, Jesus the Christ overcame this world. As we sow toward the fruit of the spirit, let us not become weary. Be encouraging, help others as they are going through the process of weeding.

Take Inventory and Take Action!

Love,

Deborah

“Lighting the path to loving your neighbor as yourself.”