Pulling Weeds

Scripture to ponder:

Ephesians 3:16-19

Rooted in Christ. That's what we are supposed to be as followers of Christ, but what other things have taken hold in the ground of the garden of our hearts?

Just like in those warm months of sowing and harvesting there is also a time to pull weeds. I used to stay with my grandparents while my parents worked, so I was blessed to be an observer of their precious lives and in turn they held a large role in shaping mine. Always together, they would work in quiet unison down the rows of their garden, preparing the soil, planting, tending, and the most dreaded time, for me anyways, was the weeding. I wanted to be chasing butterflies instead of pulling weeds but that was the necessary part that couldn't be ignored. If that step were to be skipped those pesky weeds would take over the whole garden and all their hard work would be quickly overtaken. Sis, our hearts are that way too. Those weeds creep up quickly without notice and soon they've taken root in our hearts without us even being aware of their presence.

Summer days were spent setting across from my papaw on an overturned bucket quietly pulling weeds. He was gentle and soft-spoken with a hidden sense of humor that was often unexpected. He'd set on that bucket in his blue plaid button-up and khakis working till his job was finished. He'd instruct me on what was next and together we'd work. I'm sure at that age I wasn't doing an adequate job but he never let on that I wasn't doing it to his satisfaction.

As the days passed the work continued. Caring for a garden is a continuous job and there's always something that needs done. If you desire the reward at completion, you take extra care and put forth your best effort. In our heart gardens, sis, there's always something that needs tended to.

Their garden grew and soon it was time to get our buckets back out and pick the green beans. That was always my favorite time; there's something satisfying about stringing and breaking beans. Maybe it was the meal I knew my Nanny would soon be fixing, or the beans that would pop out when broken that would get tossed at each other. We'd carefully work down the rows pulling each bean that was ready to be picked. Then my grandparents would set around the table and we would all string and break them together. It may have felt like a chore at the time but it is a memory I cherish now. Without the work of pulling weeds, there would be no reward.

Sis, our hearts are the same. We have to do the work of pulling up weeds that threaten to separate us from our reward that is Christ. Roots take hold quickly without us being aware, so we have to be constantly seeking the Lord to reveal what's not of him. That negative thought that keeps slipping in and soon we're complaining. That hurt that's grown root's and we've become bitter. That sense of feeling things are unfair and we've gossipped until we felt validated. Those little roots take hold and begin to consume us if we are not actively caring for the garden of our hearts.

May we ask him to search our hearts and reveal to us what weeds need to be pulled so that we can produce only what is of him.

Questions to Consider:

1) What weeds are in my heart that I haven't taken notice of?

2) Am I actively pulling weeds so that bitterness and resentment aren't taking hold?

3) Am I aware of my complaining and negative thoughts that if left unchecked will soon grow deeper roots?