Things Learned from the Garden

It's always amazing to me how much havoc the winter brings on my lovely garden beds. OK, so maybe it's not completely Old Man Winter's fault, so much as the fact that I just don't want to get out in my garden when it's cold and wet and dreary. So generally, my garden gets completely neglected during the few cold months we have here in the South. But, with the first signs of spring making their way to my house, I have made my way out of doors to begin piecing together what is left of my garden after all the leaves and ice and weeds have had their fun.

It certainly helps having raised beds for gardening, because I am not nearly as limited in my time. I don't have to wait for the ground to dry out before tilling. And I don't have to wait for the first free weekend my husband has to pull out said tiller and actually do the work for me. But even with raised beds, weeds have a way of finding themselves smack dab in the middle of my garden, putting down deep roots and making themselves at home.

So before taking the shovel to my dirt to turn it under and loosen it up, I set to work pulling out all those weeds that were multiplying in my garden. I got down on my hands and knees and yanked out each one. I have learned that, if you leave even a little of the root, it will find whatever strength it has left and will come back even stronger. The only way to get rid of a weed is to pull it out by the roots.

Weeds start out small, sometimes even inconspicuous. They put down their small roots and begin to grow. If you leave them for any length of time, their roots become strong and run deep. Some of these weeds produce some of the most beautiful flowers, making you think they might just belong right where they are. After all, they aren't hurting anything, and they are even pleasing to look at. But before you know it, that one small, inconspicuous weed will turn to many, and they can and will take over your entire garden, sucking all the good, vital nutrients from the soil that your healthy plants so desperately need.

Weeds are just like sin. Most start out very small, sometimes even inconspicuous. But if we allow it to put down roots in our lives, it will begin to grow and multiply. Often, our sins look very lovely. Otherwise, why would we do them? And every time we allow it control in our lives, the roots of those sins grow stronger and deeper. They begin to take over every part of us, sucking out all the good, and leaving us with little else to offer The Master.

Just like all those weeds have got to be pulled out of my garden, the sin in our lives has to be yanked out to make room for all the good that He has for us. We need the Master Gardener to go through our hearts and get rid of anything not producing good fruit of Him. And He doesn't just pull from the top. He reaches WAY DOWN and yanks out those sins by the roots!

Do you have some "weeds" that need to be pulled? Are they so small you hardly notice them, or have they multiplied so that there is no more room for any other good things? Are you ready to produce something good for Almighty God? Then get ready to be yanked on, because, in order to serve Him, there can be nothing else in the soil of your life standing in His way. You cannot be effective for Christ when you still have "little weeds" in your life. Are you ready to be yanked?