One Solitary Weed

The sounds of summer.
Children laughing.
Water splashing.
Music playing.

There are other sounds of summer.
Mowers mowing.
Weed whackers buzzing.
Leaf blowers whirring.

This is the time of year when mowing the grass is expected.
Weekly grass cutting is typical, though some people cut their grass twice a week.
Some people are very meticulous about their lawns.
Not a blade of grass is out of place.

Their gardens are colorful.
Their flower beds are impeccable.
The edges of their lawn are neatly trimmed.
No grass clippings are found anywhere.

I noticed all of this on my morning walk.
It lifts my spirits to see the bounty of color.
It make me smile to see the lushness of the foliage.
Everyone takes care of their homes; the results are so aesthetically pleasing.

As I came down the last remaining hill on my walk, I saw it.
Next to the neat edges, I saw it.
It should not have been there, but it was.
It was an example of tenacity at it finest.

One solitary weed was poking through the asphalt.
One solitary weed was not growing where it was expected to be growing.
One solitary weed broke through.
The tenacious weed, delighted me.

One solitary weed broke through the asphalt.
It did not seem possible.
How could one little weed poke through a street?
How strong it must have been?

I looked for an existing crack in the asphalt.
There was none that I could see.
It seemed as if this one little weed had a mind of its own.
This lone weed had power to break through what seemed impenetrable.

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)

The solitary weed delighted me because it reminded me of the Kingdom.
God’s Kingdom breaks through.
God’s people are found in the most unlikely places.
Believers pop up here and there making the Lord Jesus known.

As I read about how weeds grow through asphalt, there were many theories.
Perhaps there is a crack in the asphalt and a weed grows there.
Perhaps the weed grows through and breaks the asphalt.
It was a matter of perspective.

Does the weed grow through an existing crack in the asphalt?
Does the crack in the asphalt happen because the weed broke through?
One may never know for sure.
However, the latter explanation is the one I believe to be true.

Breaking through something hard depends on the power of the thing breaking through.
Seeing that one solitary weed on my walk made me think the weed was stronger.
Nothing was going to stop that weed from breaking through.
Growth happened and nothing was going to stop it.

…and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.  He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:17-21)

The Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
Because of Jesus, the Kingdom of God broke through.
The Kingdom of God broke through the hardest hearts.
The Kingdom of God broke through religiosity and legalism.

Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20,21)

The Kingdom of God is among us.
The now and not yet of the Kingdom.
Jesus said the Kingdom is in your midst.
Jesus said that He is going to prepare a place for us so we can be where He is.

The now Kingdom as through the Spirit, we make Jesus known.
The not yet Kingdom, when one day we will live with Him in Heaven.
For now, the Kingdom breaks through.
For now, the Kingdom breaks barriers, breaks down walls, and grows in the least likely places.

Tenacious.
Strong.
The Kingdom permeates everything.
The Kingdom continues to break through.

Amen.