Weeds

I have spent the last 2 days with these little stinkers.

Lots of them!

Funny thing happened amongst those hours of my hands in all that nasty.

God spoke.

Now don't get me wrong...I've weeded before. Many times in fact. But there is something special about all of these weeds. If any of you have seen my new house, you know one thing.

I. Have. Flowerbeds.

MANY Flowerbeds.

And after going thru what we went thru to get this house, I take extra special pride in every ounce of it that God blessed us with.

So even though I've said to anyone who will listen, "This is Hubs' job!!!", I took off to work in them Sunday evening. I worked all evening and got over half done. But it wasn't' until I literally set one foot back into the beds Monday evening that The Lord began to show me Himself in those weeds.

Wanna hear?

I noticed that the biggest, thickest and ugliest weeds were easiest to pull. Most of the time their root was one thick root that pulled right on up out of that loose soil. But those smaller, daintier and almost prettier weeds had monstrous roots below. And if The Gardener just grabbed and pulled, they would most of the time just break off and leave the roots below. The Gardener needed get down as close as He could to base of the weed and wrap His entire hand around it. He would then begin to work from side to side...ever so gently making sure to loosen the roots grip here and there. Tugging...rocking...convincing that soil to LET GO of that which was seeking to destroy it.

Isn't that just like me? My big U-G-L-Y sins...the ones that stuck out way high that were there for everyone to see and point at that I thought were the thickest things that I would never be able to be rid of were the ones the soil (me) could give up the easiest. The roots of that sin was something that didn't run down deep and far. Sure, it wasn't fun. Sure, it left the biggest hole in me. But those visible sins could no longer be seen b'c they were gone.

Root and all! Praise-alluia!

But then, what about those little "pretty" sins. The ones that on the surface...to my friends and family I can make not seem like anything. But they are the ones that once someone comes along and says, "Wait...I love you and that is sin and it needs to go" and they attempt to assist at ripping it for me (don't lie...we've all tried to do it for a friend at one time or another), just breaks off the outer surface.

They never even touch what's below. And I'm good at hiding what's below. Those deep and LARGE roots of pride, rebellion and selfishness. But then those roots hang out there and wait. They wait for just the right opportunity to re-grow another pretty little thing. Something that seems so harmless.

But when I allow THE Gardener to reach down...wrap me in His entire hands and begin to lean me this way...that way...tug away at the very thing that is strangling life out of me, He can get all the way down to the roots.

Even find where the roots are connected, if I'll let Him.

Because you see...I don't ever think things are related...do you?

Oh, come on...I'm not doing anything terribly wrong. I mean, I've done worse! And that person over there...look at what they are doing. Sure I have this and that, but they are so tiny and almost pretty if you look at them right and in the right sunlight and with the right colored glasses on.

All the while...never knowing...that beneath the surface the "this and that" are rooted together and are attempting to snuff the life out of everything good in me.

Then, there was what happened from Sunday to Monday night.

Sunday night I had weeded over half the flower bed. In the almost dark. I was pulling and throwing like a mad man. When I came back out Monday night...

I saw all the spots I missed by attempting to do it all in the dark rather than allowing the light to expose it ALL.

Wow. It's amazing the difference that is made when you bring something out of darkness and shine The Light on it.

So when I was finally now working in the light I could also see those roots that were still just below the surface...the ones that I too quickly ripped off and realized that none of us will ever be completely free of all the roots. Not this side of Heaven anyway. But we can diligently allow the Gardening process to take place more often then not to keep the soil ALWAYS willing to let loose of those things that need to be not just pulled but uprooted.

But then, as I was going inside to let the Hubs finish up the yard work, I stopped on my porch and looked down at the biggest bed. I was prepared to look down and take great pride in what I saw. What I had just done.

But instead my heart was sick. Because lying all around this beautiful flower bed...clean and free from weeds...was carnage. Disgusting weeds and ugly roots scattered all around. A reminder of what was attempting to kill those beautiful plants. I could still see the beauty of the now clean bed and could almost hear the plants breathe a deep sigh...but I also almost wept...

...as I thought about the Lord looking upon myself the same way. All of the carnage lying around me...stinking it up as I breathe a sigh of relief that He didn't let those roots destroy me like I would have.

If He hadn't thought it was weeding time.