Pulling Weeds

I was weeding this morning after I got back from my walk.
I try not to wait until the job is insurmountable.
I tend to pull weeds when I see them.

I am not a person who likes to be in the sun, since I sunburn very easily.
I am a “get things done in the morning, before the heat of the day” kind of person.
Typically, I prefer my shady porch to the sunny deck.

I was weeding a large mulch bed in the front yard.
I noticed that there was quite a bit of moss on one side of a large tree.
It was actually beautiful…luxuriant, verdant…a thick rug beneath the tree.

I remembered that moss usually grows on the north side of the tree, where it is shadiest.
Since the front of our house faces north, that made sense.
Two main living areas in our home are on the south side.
Needless to say, we have a sunny kitchen and family room.
The rest of the house, and most of the bedrooms, are on the north side.

Even though the moss was truly beautiful, I know it is considered a weed.
In order to inhibit moss growth, you can rake the moss bed; decrease the amount of water; but most importantly, you increase the amount of direct sunlight.

I left the moss alone.

How many weeds are in our spiritual gardens?
Do we tend to pull them out when we see them, or do we allow the weeds to take over?

Jesus told a parable about weeds:
The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said,”Sir didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?”
“An enemy did this,” he replied.
The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”
“No”, he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: first collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into My barn.” (Matthew 13:24-30)

Wheat and weeds together.

In our front mulch bed, there are beautiful plantings and large trees.
There are also weeds.
Beauty and weeds together.

Just when you think you have pulled all the weeds, another one pops up.
You don’t have to do anything in order for the weeds to grow.

But you have much work to do to stop the weeds from growing.
You have to be consistent to get out there and tend to the weeds.
You cannot be lazy and put off until tomorrow what you know you have to do today.
Weeds have to be pulled out, along with the root.

That’s the problem.
Weeds can have an extensive root system.
You may think you pulled all of it, only to find it growing in the same spot again.

Solomon wrote about a similar problem in Song of Songs:
Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin our vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. (Song of Songs 2:15)

Whether it is foxes or weeds, they have to be dealt with right away or they will take over our garden.

So it is with sin.
The insidious weed of sin in our lives.
Much like the weeds in the mulch, or the foxes in the vineyard, sin has to be dealt with.
Right away.

Like the verdant moss, the weed of sin can look beautiful.
But like the moss, being out of direct Son-light, will guarantee that the weed will soon take over our garden.

We will never be weed free this side of heaven.
But we can be diligent to prevent the weeds as much as possible.

Get into the Son-light…and out of the darkness.
Inhibit the growth of the weed as soon as you see it.
Pull it out, with the root…using the shovel of God’s Word to do the digging.

Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me. (Amos 4:9)

The surest remedy for weeds in our spiritual garden is to return to the Lord.
In repentance, turn from the weed of sin and turn towards the Lord.
Get into direct Son-light and don’t allow the moss to grow.
Then our garden will truly be beautiful.