Last week, I spent some time in the yard weeding. This one corner of the house seems to grow a weed-carpet year after year. Thankfully it’s in the sun and I enjoy multitasking - getting a little sun while beautifying the yard. (Weeding in the shade is not nearly as fun.) It had just rained so the ground was soft, creating light work of the otherwise daunting task ahead. Weeds are funny things. They can be long and lanky, have lovely flowers on them, or spread far and wide, but they all seem to have one thing in common. Their roots don’t travel very deep but rather hide just below the surface. They appear more much vicious than they truly are.
This particular flowerbed has a luscious, vine groundcover that occupies a good third of the bed. It has been there for as long as I can remember. I love that area. The flowering vine is beautiful and needs hardly any attention to stay that way. (Let’s be clear about something. I enjoy artistic, well-manicured landscaping. I do NOT enjoy the maintenance required. Perennials and low maintenance plants are my favorites!) Glancing over at the undemanding vine, I noticed some new leaves sprouting up amidst the freshly laid mulch.
Beginning work on the weed-carpet, I intentionally captured their roots and freed the dirt loose. (I must be vigilant to avoid being back out here again in two weeks.) Finding some entangled baby vines, I put down my shovel and carefully handpicked the weeds from around the delicate leaves. Much to the dismay of my focused efforts, I uprooted some of the little guys. Gently, I would replant them in hopes they would somehow survive.
The sun grew warmer as this simple project became more involved. Enough for one day. This little corner had given a whole new meaning to the phrase, “weeding through something.” I stood up to evaluate my work, rather proud of myself. Sister even commented on how detailed I’d been working around the little guys.
Then it dawned on me. How did I know the “new growth” wasn’t also a weed? Its roots weren’t very deep. I just assumed it was supposed to be there because it looked different than the normal weeds. I mean, it looked pretty.
Next time I went out to weed, I plucked a new growth out of the ground and took it to Mom. Sure enough. It’s a weed. I had spent precious time trying to save those plants, even replanting them! Turns out this weed will completely takeover a bed, depriving flowers and plants of light, moisture and nutrients. I was protecting that?!?
My first thought was how often do I do that in my own life? How often do I protect, replant, or nurture things that don’t even belong in my life? Protect an image of myself, replant an idea of my worth, nurture a thought about my identity that isn’t truth. Lord, I pray it isn’t so. But I do it all the time.
I felt pretty silly after learning I’d wasted time saving weeds. However, my feelings don’t go that easy on me when the weeds are found in my heart. A protected weed can quickly start destroying and stealing. The Holy Spirit has been uncovering some deeply rooted lies and beliefs about my value and unique design. Thankfully He is a Master Gardener! He knows the vines from the weeds. When I set down my own tools and ask the Lord to tend to my heart, He gently removes the weeds, brings healing, and plants beautiful Truth flowers.
