The Wisdom of Weeds

Yes, I am that mom who woke her daughter earlier than normal to go to the church to weed some flower bed areas.  This task has been needing done for a while and I had seriously considered doing it when the kids were at camp but with a 116 degree heat index, I just couldn't do it.  This morning I woke up to 56 degrees outside and knew today was the day to get that done.  That isn't where the wisdom of weeds ends, however.

As Maddie and I were starting out with the weed pulling, she says to me "the weeds have really gotten out of control."  I agreed.  She then says "Why didn't anyone care before now to get rid of them?"  My first response was "well, people get busy and many of us, including myself, would think 'someone should really take care of those weeds.' but then promptly forget about them."  But as we continued to weed, my mind began wandering to something deeper concerning those weeds.  The thought occurred to me that those weeds are like wrong choices, wrong thoughts, wrong behavior (ok, so they are like sin) in our lives.  When we aren't willing to deal with them and when we aren't willing to turn away from them those things, like the weeds, they continue to grow bigger.  Not only do they grow bigger, but they begin to choke out the true, the just, the pure, the lovely, the good report, and the virtue in our lives. (referencing Philippians 4:8)  

So...I decided to share my pondering with my daughter.  I spoke the above heart felt words with her.  I asked her that if the weeds had been taken care of on a daily basis, would they have gotten to be so plenteous?  She said no.  I went on to ask her if the weeds in the flower bed were all the same kind of weed.  She said no.  I went on to say what was on my heart by relating that to the fact that on a daily basis there are not just one sin type that we face.  There are many sin potentials that cross our paths.  When we yield to them, they begin to take root in our hearts.  They spread and consume our lives and the truth becomes farther away and begins to die.  

Her response to all this was "Does everything have to turn into a theology lesson?"  My response was "when your heart is fixed on what God is doing your natural response to see things from His perspective."  

This evening as I have been going over the earlier conversation, my mind recalled Deuteronomy 11:18-21 "Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.  And ye shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth."

That is where the wisdom of weeds comes from.  It was written on my heart and it was a teachable moment.