Most people who know even just a little about me, know that I have a garden. If you were to happen by my house early in the morning you will find me outside tending to my garden. I tend to spend most of my free time there, but it's not for reason's most people tend to believe. My garden is my place of enjoyment, discipline, and surrender. And it's the very place where I can seek the very heartbeat of God and I tend to hear Him speak to me the loudest.
As I've been out in my garden the past few weeks, I've been amazed at all the weeds. Sometimes I take the time to pull them as they pop up while I'm watering. Sometimes I just don't have the time or take the time to pull them up as they are revealed. When I came back from vacation, I was amazed to see how much the weeds had grown and how invasive they were on the plants I am trying to nurture.
Little by little I've been weeding...trying to commit myself to pull at least a few each day. I've come to realize that I have to really commit to getting rid of the weed, if I half-heartily just rip it out, I rip off the top of the weed at the surface of the soil instead of uprooting it entirely. And if I ignore it because it appears small and allow it to grow for just a few extra days I come back to find it has doubled in size. The weed has stolen all of the water and nutrients from the soil that were intended for my plant. When I go to pull it out, it takes much more of my strength and effort because it's root system has dug down deep. There are some weeds I have ignored and because of it the weeds begin to compromise my plants and I am left with the decision to leave the weed and allow it to grow with my plant and continue to compromise the health of my plant or pull it and do all I can to nurture my plant and hope the life remains and the health of the plant is restored.
While weeding the Lord has continued to speak to my heart about this garden. How my life is filled with so many weeds. Some are under the surface and I don't even realize it while some are small and easily pulled out. Yet there are others that I have ignored either out of laziness or fear or my own resistant stubbornness. Sometimes in my impatience or half-hearted desire to deal with it, I break them off at the surface and the weed remains allowing the roots to sprout up more weeds. My Gardner gently and lovingly points out to me the weeds I have allowed to continue to grow and I am left with the choice to continue to ignore them and allow them to compromise the healthy life or trust Him as the Master Gardener, to get rid of those weeds that will compromise and choke out His life within me. He has come to give us an Abundant Life...a garden that is full of beautiful life with a sweet aroma pleasing to Him and all those around us receive the benefits of it, but it's up to us whether or not we will ignore the weeds and then once we see them, how we will allow them to be dealt with.
I have a garden...it's full of weeds, but I'm grateful I have a Master Gardner who is lovingly and patiently waiting to help me tend to it.
Kristi
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