Pulling Weeds

“I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;  thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.”-Proverbs 24:30-32

This weekend I helped do some weed pulling and yard work. I hate pulling weeds! It is seriously one of the worst jobs. I hate pulling those weeds that leave extra marks on you. You know, those weeds that have that milky gunk that comes out and makes everything sticky. Then, with the stickiness, you get every particle of dirt on your hands that stain and won’t come off! Basically, pulling weeds is a mess and is horrible!

No matter how horrible it is; weed pulling is necessary to keep things clear and growing properly. If we want our garden or sidewalks to look nice, we need to do the work. If we don’t want people judging our house, we need to do the work. If we actually want stuff to grow, well, we need to do the work.

It is the same thing with the weeds in our life. There are things that pop up in our hearts and minds that seek to ruin our growth. They seek to destroy any goodness that could be forming, especially in the cracks that we have allowed to form. Some of the “weeds” I am referring to could be pornography, alcoholism, lying, and adultery…just to name a few. They sneak in and ruin us. 

If we are honest, we have weeds, but they don’t need to be permanent. It all depends on if we are willing to do the work to remove them! Sometimes, the weeds we have to pull will cause a mess, but in the end our hearts and minds will be clear and ready to grow some more. If we really want to grow, then we will be willing to put in the work.

The problem with weeds is they find a way to sneak back in. If we aren’t proactive, then they’ll continue to grow. We need to pull them before they get too bad. Sometimes, we need to try to get the original weed by the root. We need to find out the cause of the weed. Why are we turning to certain desires? Where does the weakness set in? “Flee from temptation” is what we see in Scripture, but in order to flee we need to know how to recognize it coming. 

We know a weed from a flower or plant. It should be the same for the “weeds” in our life. Be aware of the seasons. Be aware of the conditions of your heart and mind. Be aware of the soil you are planted in. Focus on Christ and allow Him to do the perfect gardening necessary to grow you as a disciple. It’s messy, sometimes painful, but well worth the work in order to be a healthy servant of Jesus.