Weeding

“If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” – Romans 8:13

Gardening is therapeutic. It gives us a chance to pit our energy and wits against the elements and reap a harvest of tasty vegetables. I spend time each spring preparing my garden for the summer growing season. That usually entails getting rid of old plant debris, digging in the compost from last year’s trimmings, and planting or transplanting a new crop with high expectations of the warm weather to follow. It is so exciting to watch as God’s warm sun and gentle rains encourage the tiny plants into abundant foliage.

There are some problems, however. My time in the garden is limited to whatever I have the energy to squeeze in before beginning my morning routine of preparing for the day, driving the kids to school, and dashing off to work. Some days, the garden gets neglected. Soon, my spare time (and energy) is consumed by camp meeting preparations, followed by camp meeting, then vacation time. Poor garden!

Returning from vacation this year, I could still spot the tomatoes and potatoes, but they were definitely struggling to find sunlight. The weeds, on the other hand, were magnificent!

After eyeing these weeds warily for a couple of days, a battle plan evolved. I softened them up with a water bombardment, and then attacked them from the western front with a garden trowel. Another day, I began by pulling the weeds on the northern edge of the patch, followed soon by a second assault from the west. Eventually I won the battle. The vegetables had a new lease on life.

Our spiritual life sometimes gets weedy. A casual habit or a self-serving attitude that chokes our Christian testimony may sprout up. If no attention is given, soon these problems multiply. The casual habit becomes firmly rooted and branches out majestically. That self-serving attitude blossoms into a thriving bindweed, climbing all over our good intentions. A minute, unforgiven irritation springs forth into robust life and produces a grudge. We look for ways to please ourselves first of all, leaving God’s wishes in second place.

Our task is to soften up the problem with the Word of God, and then attack it with prayer. We ask the Lord to help us re-align our lives to His plans and eradicate the selfish behavior that has taken up residence. With God’s help and encouragement gleaned from the Bible and church services, little by little we gain headway against those spiritual weeds. Our spiritual garden has a new lease on life!

Let’s watch carefully and dig out problems before they take root in our hearts.