Whether
it’s the warning message from the Homeowners Association or the sense you have
when you walk outside that it just doesn’t look right, the overgrowth of weeds
in your flowerbeds needs someone’s attention.
My friend
had attempted to conquer her weeds after such a warning. If she was going to do it, she was going to
do it all the way. She started from
scratch and bought a weed barrier over which she laid dirt and mulch. She was sure that weeds would no longer pose
a problem. I shared my own experience
having done the same and how amazed I am that some grass and weeds can make
their way through anyway. She was
discouraged by my experience.
It’s not
that the barrier doesn’t work at all. I
would hate to see how bad the weeds would get if I didn’t have it. The best attitude I can have about the weeds
in my life are to expect them and conquer them one day at a time. I’ve remained basically diligent since
spring. I even pulled the tiniest weed
knowing that I was diminishing my need for weeding in the future. It has worked, but every week I have some
weeds or unwanted grass to pull.
I’ve
accepted that I will never be finished.
Likewise, I will never be finished with my sin. I will never finish a lot of things in this
life. Just like weeding seasons will
continue to confront me, so will my sins, my grief and my misplaced
emotions.
Accepting
that I am a sinner can release the garden of my soul to flourish because of
this spiritual reality. Paul wrote these
words to his spiritual son, Timothy: But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display
his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and
receive eternal life (I Timothy 1:16). I’m not proud of my sins when I accept that I
am a sinner, but I am more in awe of my God who loves me.
Accepting
that I am a sinner aids my soul in a multitude of ways. It keeps me from judging others too
harshly. It makes me wonder how God
could love me so much. It helps me fight
off the condemnation with which Satan wants to attack me. I already know that I am the worst of
sinners, so I don’t need him to accuse me.
Weeding seasons
come and go, but the weeds are here to stay.
I want to live one day without sin, but I’m not sure I ever will. The reward is in the trying. The reward is in not giving up on the
weeds. I take them one weed at a time,
and that makes my garden and my soul better than it would have been. The blood of Christ flows fully and freely
over the worst of sinners. It’s
discouraging news to one who is only focused on efforts to get rid of sin and
not on God. It is sweetness to a soul
who can receive the love and forgiveness God bestows to the worst of sinners.
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