Let
each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Romans 15:2
I have some new neighbors. They are
the sweetest people ever. They have
transformed the house they bought and yard into a beautiful place. They are excellent landscape artists and know
just the right plants to get and the right fertilizer, weed killer, etc. In talking to them I have expressed my
frustration to keep anything in my flowerbed other than grass and weeds. They have been giving me tips and even came
over when I was not home and filled my flowerbed with extra dirt – because it
needed it badly and that is the kind of people they are. If they can help, they will. The best neighbors ever. I have grown to love them in the short time I
have known them.
The other day I was out working in
the flowerbed, trying to keep the grass out that was sprouting in the dirt they
filled in. My neighbor saw me and came
over to give me a bit of advice that I have been pondering ever since. I was using my garden claw, twisting and
turning and grinding up the sprouts of grass that were beginning to come
up. I have plans so I have to keep the
grass out! I am going to have flowers
and plants in there! I am closer than I
have ever been so I have to keep it primed and ready. My neighbor came over and graciously told me
that they have a tiller and they can till that up in five minutes with no
problem, just stop and let them come do it.
I, feeling like they have done above and beyond the act of being kind
already, said I could do it; they didn’t need to do that. She talked to me a little more about the
possibility of actually having grass (a lawn!) and what shrubs would be good to
buy now to plant in front of the windows.
She once again said that they would come over in the next day or two and
bring the tiller and work the flowerbed over for me. I again said I could do it that they didn’t
need to do that. She finally said to me,
“Look, you are really just spreading it and making it worse! We need to till it up and get the roots and
all out.” In that moment it struck
me. I laughed and told her “That
is the story of my life!”
That is the story of my life and
many of you too I suspect. Aren’t there a lot of us out there who are just
stirring up the soil, turning the weeds and grass inside out, outside in, but
never getting to the root of the problem?
We are just spreading the bad all over the place instead of getting it
out. I laughed at myself thinking that
is just like me. I think I am doing a
good thing, the right thing, and all I am really doing is making things worse
because I am not facing the truth. I am
not getting to the root of the
issue.
Like the grass and weeds growing
where you don’t want them, the bad weeds of life can take over your heart in no
time if you aren’t careful. Don’t let
them take root. Both weeds and bad
habits of the heart are destructive. Weeds choke out the good things growing in
the garden, so also weeds in the heart choke out the good life that is there
for the Christian. Weeds choke out the
nourishment needed for the garden to grow, and sin chokes out the nourishment
our hearts need through Christ. Lastly,
just as weeds are harder and harder to get out of the ground the longer they
are allowed to thrive, so also sin in the life of the believer is harder and
harder to root out the longer it is allowed to exist.
What are the issues in your
life? What are you ignoring, turning
under, in an attempt to fix things the best way you know how? Give them to God! Do it now.
He can help you. He knows the
ending to your story already. He is
waiting and willing to lead you through this, to get to the roots and
annihilate the weeds completely. After
all, on your own you are only spreading it and making things worse.
Scripture to Claim:
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is
not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians
15:58
Submitted by Lara Cook
