I received an email from a friend not long ago. She was giving me an update on the weather where she lives. She wrote, “Somehow the weeds seem to grow even without rain”. Instantly, the Holy Spirit gave me a life lesson using weeds.
Definition
Dictionary.com gives the following definitions for a weed (as a noun):
- A valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop.
- Any undesirable or troublesome plant, especially one that grows profusely where it is not wanted:
Somehow the weeds seem to grow even without rain. Sometimes people (weeds) have problems with us even without cause (rain). I’m certainly not saying all people are weeds. I am saying, however, that there will be people who pop up in our lives and seem to do nothing but cause trouble, just like weeds in a garden. They don’t need much justification, if any.
Weeds seem to grow even without rain. Whether at work, in the neighborhood, or at school, there may be someone who has issue with you, without cause. You don’t know what you did, what you didn’t do, what you said, or what you didn’t say that seems to be causing them to be troublesome for you, but they are.
They may seem valueless in the garden of your life, but because they are there, you have to deal with them and the situation(s) they create. Just as you would tend to the weeds in your picturesque yard garden, you have to tend to the weeds in your life. If not, they will do their best to choke the life out of you just as weeds do to the carefully cultivated garden in your yard.
Romans 12:18
Using Dictionary.com’s definition, your desired crop is a peaceful life. Think about the Garden of Eden God created. It was beautiful, peaceful, and serene. That’s how He intended our lives to be. We would be fooling ourselves to think that life could ever be perfect; without stress, without concerns, without matters that must be dealt with. However, it is very possible for us to live peacefully, if we tend to the garden of our life periodically. Romans 12:18 (NIV) “If it be possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
When weeds spring up, they distort the look of a garden. Likewise, if they stay around long enough, negative, troublesome people can begin to distort the view we have of our own life. Just when things are starting to take shape and we’re feeling good about where we are in life, up pops a weed that tries to convince us things aren’t as good as we think.
Conclusion
Spring is upon us, and with it comes the beautiful flowers people will admire in the yards of meticulous gardeners. As we pass by them, it will be easy to tell which ones have taken the most care and concern for their gardens because they will be extremely well kept, and it will show. How well kept is the garden of your life? Does it show to others? Do they see peace, which represents a well, cared-for life, or do they see confusion that indicates the garden of your life may be full of weeds?
Gardens are designed to produce things which will be beneficial and nourish us. Be purposeful when cultivating the garden, known as your life. What does not feed you spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, etc. needs to be weeded out. You only get one garden (life), so enjoy it and make it beautiful!