The Need to Weed

We finally had a break in an unusual season of rain. Living here in California, we don't see this much rain. As a native Californian, I never remember this much.  But all this rain sure does cause the weeds to grow. It was time to do some weeding. Just a week ago we had 4 days of rain in a row.  This combination of rain and sun caused the weeds to "grow like weeds." The photo to the left was a weed growing in my hydrangea flower pot, key word "was."

Often, God has used gardening to teach me things about life. Weeds seem to be what He uses the most. Pulling weeds is a position of humility. Most of the time, I'm on my knees in a position of bowing. I thought about that as I worked to get rid of these pesky plants that try to camouflage themselves with the flowers and bushes. After a while, I got to the point I didn't care if I couldn't get to the root. I just wanted the flowerbed to look neat.

That's when I realized that sometimes the issues we struggle with are like those weeds. We can pull them today, but in this world of "dirty water," it's likely new weeds will grow. But what God really showed me was when I didn't pull the root, I left the flower bed vulnerable to not only growing back, but growing back more quickly. If we don't deal with the root of our struggle, then it's going to keep popping up. Just when you think your heart is cleared out, then out of the blue, something happens that stirs up an emotion. In the past, rather than pull it, I end up going to food, my comfort and then I start to feed the weed. 

This might be a good opportunity to do some heart weeding. Take some time this week to search your heart. Psalm 139:23 & 24 says "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting." Write down what those hurts and anxieties are. You may not discover all of them right now, but try to write as many of them down on a separate sheet of paper. Then hand them over to God and forgive them and bless them. Then tear the sheet of paper up and throw it away. I can't tell you how much this helps. It's a physical way of letting go of something you can't hold in your hand.

I pray this week would be the beginning of feeling some freedom. I pray this week you see the scale move down a few pounds. This kind of emotional weight can be heavy and when you release it, you will feel lighter in your soul. The more often you weed, the easier it is to weed the next time.