weeds

So a few weeks ago a family who had been coming to Freedom for quite some time mentioned that they have a landscaping business. They told me they would love to start taking care of the yard at the church. To which I replied "It's all yours." They began cutting the grass, edging and weedeating each week. Then one week they decided to spread some mulch and plant a lot of flowers in our flower beds. They looked wonderful. Then, the weeds started sprouting up. I took one Saturday afternoon and started pulling the weeds, the plants looked great again but nothing about them had really changed. They could just be seen for their beauty more without the weeds all around them. They looked great for a while and then again, the weeds came up. Many of the weeds I had not been able to get to the root of so they regrew, but this time I got all the way below the surface. This parable JEsus used to explain how to deal with "weeds in our lives."

Matthew 13 has this to say about it.
24 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is likever a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 28 " 'An enemy did this,' he replied. 28 "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 29 " 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'

I can tell you from experience that there have been times in my life and in my ministries when the beauty of things was not so clear. It took some time on my knees in prayer for God to reveal to me the things that were weeding their way into my life and ministry. You may very well have things going on in your life that need to go, you may have relationships in your life that need to go. My advice would be to pull those weeds and make sure you get to the root so they no longer sprout up in your life. I can honestly say, this is an exercise that I reluctantly went through over last few weeks, and boy what a difference! It made my Wednesday and my Sunday much better because the weeds were gone.
So spend time in prayer today asking God what things, relationships or possessions in your life need to be weeded out. That's what did it for me, I prayed and God actually made some of the weeds just go away far more efficiently than I could have ever done it, that's for sure. When God pulls a weed he gets the root and there's no need to go back over it, when I pull the weeds, I get the surface and it can take many more trips to get those weeds gone. Give it to God and let Him take care of you!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!