Weeding out

Personal Photo: We didn't beat darkness, but the wheelbarrow full of potatoes helped remind me how important it is to keep our garden clean. When we do this, we get to focus on the harvest, rather than the overgrowth. The only way to get to the plant's bounty is to clear out the weeds that take up space and time. It is no different with our gardens of life!

My eyes shut quickly as the dirt flung all over my face and lap. Nothing like a dirt shower to end the evening. Clay and I were racing daylight, trying to finish digging a row of potatoes from our garden. Our garden has struggled this year, with rabbits feasting on our beans, the cucumbers barely producing, and the only things that seemed to grow from the extra rainy season were all of the weeds. With this being said, we are not quite halfway done digging potatoes and our crop has been bountiful. To say we have been blessed is an understatement.

When Clay and I started on this row of potatoes, my plan was to sit in a chair, chat with him, and leave the heavy lifting to his capable hands. However, I found myself wanting to help and so it did not take long for me to be squatting down for each potato plant, digging through the dirt and weeds to hunt for the beautiful potatoes. Not an easy task any year, but I was especially challenged with my eight-month-pregnant belly stopping me at every bend. In addition to this, we found ourselves entirely frustrated with the state of the garden; the weeds were taking over!

Potatoes are ready to dig when the plant itself dies. This means that the harvest below to the ground has grown to full capacity and the plant is no longer useful. With the plant dead, and the weeds as tall as my chest, Clay and I found ourselves having to pull all the unwanted weeds out of the row before even beginning to dig into the dirt. My irritation in the weeds led me to showering myself with the garden dirt time and time again, just trying to get to the harvest.

This concept of weeding our garden is not new, and my mom and I would spend hours during my growing up years outside and pulling out all the unwanted growth among our vegetables and herbs. She would remind me that the physical action of doing it serves as a metaphor that we can always do the same in our lives. It is important to weed out the people, things, habits, and more that we can no longer serve, but rather steal nutrients and space in our gardens from those that bear fruit and are worthy of spending our time on. Often times, weeds can look like flowers or plants, just to reveal themselves over time as thieves of our energy and time. Relationships only work when they go both ways; one person doing all of the giving gets exhausting and the relationship soon fizzles out. It only works when both people give unselfishly. Therefore, when it has become one-sided, or not worth focusing on when we have other beautiful things in our lives that are worthy of our energy, it is time to weed them from our garden.

As Christians, we are taught to love all people, to remember that everyone we meet is a beloved child of God. And while this is true, it does not equate to keeping everyone close to us, to tolerate disrespect, or to accept and welcome sin. We are warned about spending energy on those who do nothing but drain it from us in Matthew 7:6, which reads " Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." When people reject our joy for God and actively choose the world over the Word, it is time to recognize when to remove them from our lives. Living our lives for Jesus and working every day to be like Him allows us the vision to see when we are best to step away and let the Lord work without us in the picture. This verse from Matthew reminds us to focus where it is most important, to listen to God's guidance when He calls us where we need to go, and to not waste time on those who will do nothing but drain it.

The beauty of weeding our garden of life is that we hold the power. Being dependent upon others to determine where we should spend our energy is exhausting and can be quite frustrating. When we realize that God calls us for a purpose, to touch certain people, to make a difference in certain areas, we remember that we are not Jesus. When we let our gardens go, we find that the weeds take over. Just like my potatoes, we can't see the plants and can't get to the harvest because it is so overgrown with everything else. Once we remove the weeds, the plants that are left go through a growth spurt; they get all the nutrients from the rain, they feel the benefit of the sunshine, and they flourish. 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us "Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals." This short but powerful verse tells how important it is that we focus on not allowing our gardens to be full of weeds, for they will ruin the rest of the garden. God makes it clear to us who to spend time on, where to spend it, and when it is time to weed our lives.

It might seem overwhelming when we consider the impact of removing someone or something from our lives. The devil can feast on our doubts, creating in us the lack of confidence to take the leap of faith. When this happens, we can remember Romans 12:2, which reads "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." This verse reminds us that God guides our hands, He works with us and through us in order to give Him glory. The Lord will make it clear to us where we need to serve, who we should focus on serving, and when we need to trust Him that it is time to weed our garden of life.

As we navigate our journeys of life, we find ourselves needing to maintain our gardens. We must realize the importance of listening to God in order to serve Him the best way possible. It is comforting to remember that we have the chance to clean out the weeds, to tend to the areas that we are called to focus on, and to depend on God to recognize how best to do so. When we do this, we have the chance to better appreciate the places in our garden that do not need removed, and to make room for extra growth. It is important to clean out the things and people that do nothing but drain our energy and waste our time. Weeding our garden helps highlight the ways that we can best give glory to God!