Weeding

Weeding.


Out this morning, before it gets into the 90's, mowing grass and pulling weeds.

Long spindly weeds that have turnip roots,
fine lacy weeds that spread quickly across the bedding with their strange leaves, dandelions that send up bright yellow aberrant flowers ("look at me, he missed me") and then blow their parachute seeds all over the yard...
weeds that turn earthy-colored rock beds into bursts of invasive green.
"Missed me again!"

Weeds.

I pull them with a long screwdriver blade unearthing their grasp on mother earth. If not, most of them have learned to say "bye, bye" to the green part as I pull on it and just dig deeper into the earth, waiting till I retreat to launch their next green invasion.

Lots of them learn to burrow in, in the midst of beautiful bedding plants - so we are in the midst of admiring a thousand tiny flowers, when our eyes are assaulted by - green weed leaves.
"Honey, this yard really needs attention."

Weeds.

Very durable. Very clever. Very fast growing. Very hungry.

And one or two of them in plain view gives the feeling to others passing by..."they sure don't care for their yard do they."

Just one or two...weeds.

So, by now sweat is running freely behind my ears, and the back of my knees, and my back is tickling with the little rivulets of weed-wrought moisture.

Then I am struck by this thought:
I will get this job done - all the weeds gone - and no one will even notice...because there will be no weeds to see.
Cruel irony.
Idea: maybe I should leave my weed container near the sidewalk with a little sign saying something like: "This is what I removed. I won. Please, enjoy not being able to see them. PS - and how is your yard?"

And then I am thinking about people weeds
...attitudes that sap goodness,
sins that invade righteousness,
Spirit Life destroyers,
character of Christ diminishers.
Spiritual weeds.

They too need to be pulled from their deep grasp of our souls.
And when they are gone...it will be beauty that remains.
Always it is hard work...careful work....this cooperation with the Spirit.

Paul even uses the upside down imagery
"put to death therefore" with the result
and you will "live." See Romans 8 - especially :13

So lets keep grabbing our inner person garden tools...
the deep digging of prayer
the sweat of diligence
the planning and doing of commitment
the chemical enrichment and restraints of the word.

As we do...the Spirit of God will help us
....and what will shine brighter and brighter in us is

Jesus.

Really.

Selah.

David