James 1:21 (MSG)
Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
Last month, one of the worst tornadoes in US history ripped through Moore, Oklahoma. A week later, I had the opportunity to travel there as part of a ministerial disaster relief team. After three days of dragging debris, chain-sawing down the remnants of trees, and consoling families that had lost all of their materialistic possessions, we needed a release. We decided, as our last act before departing, to revamp the landscaping. A strip of shrubs lined the side of the parking lot of the church we had called home over the weekend. Due to the storm, the shrubs and the bed in which they were planted were in disarray, insulation and other bits of garbage strewn throughout them. Faded, cracked wood chips were scattered over the side-walk and peppered with bits of trash, shingles, and other debris.
Before we could restore the luster of the landscape, we had to pull up a bunch of weeds and wild grasses. Naturally, these didn’t want to be evicted easily. The leaves would often snap in our hands, leaving the roots buried deep within. We would then be forced to scrape, rake, or dig until we pried out the stubborn roots. Only one was so large and complex (apparently lodged hopelessly under the layers of concrete of the sidewalk) that we couldn’t extract it. It was about this time where a spiritual truth was revealed. Pulling weeds out of a flower garden is much like pulling the sin out of our lives.
When we started, the task seemed overwhelming! Weeds were scattered everywhere. As we look at our lives, we may echo, “There are weeds everywhere! So much sin! Where do I start!”
So we just jumped in.
Another thing making a difference in the task was that I had help. There were others on hands and knees snatching weeds. I wasn't alone. Suddenly, what had seemed so impossible moments ago, appeared possible. Knowing that others had my back inspired me to soldier on. The lesson here is that you allow one or two friends into your world. Your real world. Share with them your struggles and allow them to encourage you, pray for you, or hold you accountable. Proverbs says, “a rope braided together won’t snap.”
Thirdly, throw out your accumulated weeds. Weeds and sins are resilient little beasts. After we remove them from the soil of our heart and toss them to the side, the work is not done. Somehow, someway, if we leave the picked weeds around, weeds will inevitably arise once more in the garden bed. Like some sort of evil sorcery. They must be swept up and discarded. Same way with our sins.
There’s this parable in the Bible that related how a person cleaned his house (life) of evil spirits. The spirits roamed around outside for a while before returning to find the house empty. They busted back in. Bringing friends with them this time. Moral of the story: you can clean out the flower bed (heart) of weeds (sin) but if you fail to throw them away (repent and obey) then they will come back even worse. Just ask any gardener…or addict.
Lastly, take a moment of reflection. Enjoy the beauty of the Gardener. (That would be GOD, not you!) Praise the Gardener! (Again GOD, not you!). Thank the Holy Spirit for carrying you through the knee-numbing pain of the process. Then be humble enough to go snag the weed (sin) you missed on the first sweep. And make this a practice so maybe you don’t have as many weeds to pick next time.
