God, I believe, has a special affinity for gardeners. After all, He created the very first garden for us. It was only after mankind was cast out of the garden (because of our sin) that we had to work the ground for what had before been freely provided to us.
Genesis 3:17b-19 “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
We’ve dealt with bothersome weeds ever since. Yet even they can be a lovely reminder to us of how much God loves us,
longs for us to be in right standing with Him and desires to help us grow into what He wants us to be.
Anyone who gardens is aware that weeds grow without any coaxing – many times easier than the seed or plant that was purposefully planted - and in the most unsuspecting spaces. A crack in the concrete that is no bigger than a single human hair is enough space to allow a weed to sprout. It is also true of sin when we are inattentive to the spiritual condition of our heart.
While I stopped during my own weeding project to think about this, I also thought about the weeds that I was working so hard to eradicate in my own garden and how they (the weeds) are quite similar to bad behavior exhibited in people.
Weeds are more easily removed when they are young and tender. Left to mature, they can spread over the ground and their roots shoot straight downwards which can make them more difficult to remove. The bigger the weed, the more painful it is on the gardener to remove as more pulling, tugging and digging is necessary to get all of it out of the ground. And while it seems easier to simply leave weeds unattended (after all, many of them produce lovely blooms, while underground, they are destroying the roots of other plants) they will completely overtake a garden resulting in either a poor harvest or else no harvest at all.
Weeds steal moisture and nutrients from the seeds or seedlings that have been intentionally planted. As the weeds take over, their leafy canopy becomes prime real estate for spiders and other creepy-crawlies that like to live in the shadows. Exposure to light will cause these creatures to scatter and seek shelter elsewhere.
What are the ‘weeds’ in your life? Gossip? Unforgiveness? Or some other behavior that is not pleasing to God?
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Our Master Gardener longs to show you where the weeds are in your life, to help you expose them through the light of His Holy Spirit and to show you how to most effectively remove them. He’s waiting to meet you in the garden of your heart.
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Master Gardener, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)
Genesis 3:17b-19 “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
We’ve dealt with bothersome weeds ever since. Yet even they can be a lovely reminder to us of how much God loves us,
longs for us to be in right standing with Him and desires to help us grow into what He wants us to be.
Anyone who gardens is aware that weeds grow without any coaxing – many times easier than the seed or plant that was purposefully planted - and in the most unsuspecting spaces. A crack in the concrete that is no bigger than a single human hair is enough space to allow a weed to sprout. It is also true of sin when we are inattentive to the spiritual condition of our heart.
While I stopped during my own weeding project to think about this, I also thought about the weeds that I was working so hard to eradicate in my own garden and how they (the weeds) are quite similar to bad behavior exhibited in people.
Weeds are more easily removed when they are young and tender. Left to mature, they can spread over the ground and their roots shoot straight downwards which can make them more difficult to remove. The bigger the weed, the more painful it is on the gardener to remove as more pulling, tugging and digging is necessary to get all of it out of the ground. And while it seems easier to simply leave weeds unattended (after all, many of them produce lovely blooms, while underground, they are destroying the roots of other plants) they will completely overtake a garden resulting in either a poor harvest or else no harvest at all.
Weeds steal moisture and nutrients from the seeds or seedlings that have been intentionally planted. As the weeds take over, their leafy canopy becomes prime real estate for spiders and other creepy-crawlies that like to live in the shadows. Exposure to light will cause these creatures to scatter and seek shelter elsewhere.
What are the ‘weeds’ in your life? Gossip? Unforgiveness? Or some other behavior that is not pleasing to God?
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Our Master Gardener longs to show you where the weeds are in your life, to help you expose them through the light of His Holy Spirit and to show you how to most effectively remove them. He’s waiting to meet you in the garden of your heart.
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Master Gardener, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)
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