Today I was doing some weeding before we officially leave our old house. It’s amazing how many weeds can be growing that you simply walked past in the normal busyness of life. Until you stop and really look you don’t notice or mistakenly think, “I’ll get to those weeds later”. When you do finally have to get rid of them you suddenly realise just how many and how strong those weeds have grown and that it would have been much wiser to have done some gardening on a regular basis.
Pulling weeds is part of life, and not just in the garden. Jesus taught that our hearts are like soil and we need to be mindful of what we are planting and allowing to grow in that “soil” and to keep a watchful eye on the condition of our hearts. Without diligently tending to our inner world we can easily, much like my garden be growing things we don’t want and which then take twice as much effort to remove when they multiply in number.
Primarily because both weeds and fruitful seeds have immense ability to multiply, and unless we are diligent and mindful of what attitudes, beliefs, values, and desires we are cultivating in our hearts we can easily allow and/or encourage the multiplication of “weeds” – those valueless, troublesome, rapidly growing hindrances, which quickly become detrimental to the good “seeds” we want to flourish and produce in our lives. (Mark 4:3-8; 13-20)
One good way to spot weeds in our lives is to check our conversations and reactions to people and situations. What are we most excited about? What annoys us? What do we talk with others about? What preoccupies our daily thoughts? Are they worth thinking and talking about, or are they negative, easily offended, grumpy, and ungrateful?
I encourage you to do a weed and good seed inventory today and check up on what is growing in the “soil” of your heart. Just as in the garden it's wisest to catch the weeds before they start to multiply, it’s also wise to catch any “weeds” in our hearts and minds before they run rampant through our lives. Ask God the Master gardener to come and reveal anything that is or will be troublesome. Act sooner rather than later, so that what you are growing is a crop that you actually want in your life.
The bible says, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” (Galatians 6:7-9)
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Prayer: Lord please help me to get rid of any “weeds” in my life, and to be sowing and growing those things that are beneficial. Where necessary would you please come and weed out the troublesome things and help me to feed the seeds of your Kingdom. In Jesus name Amen.
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