What does your yard look like?

With four kids I rarely have an uninterrupted thought.  I have come to enjoy the freedom of allowing my mind to wonder, and ponder as I accomplish repetitive tasks.  Today I enjoyed one of those rare moments as I worked my way through my yard.  

Let me begin with a little background to my story.  My husband and I recently moved into our first house.  This is our first spring/summer here.  This is our first lawn to care for and we are slowly getting the knowledge and tools to maintain it.  This season has brought a lot of rain and with our busy schedule we got behind in the early part of spring.  Before we knew it our backyard looked like a forest with HUGE dandelions boldly claiming their real estate in OUR yard! 
My husband, who is very conscientious and wanting to be sure he handled the situation the correct way, was waiting for just the perfect conditions to administer the weed spray he purchased.  While he waited, it continued to rain, and the yard grew out of control.  He was able to mow it, but not address the weeds.

Eventually my husband left town for work, and I was left with the task of roping in these stinkers.  I got the spray out, and carefully read the instructions.  It was actually pretty simple when you got down to it.  I sprayed my first dose of weed killer.  The instructions said to apply a second dose in a couple days for weeds that were more stubborn.  

Apparently we grown stubborn kids AND weeds.  So, a few days later I sprayed the yard again, paying extra attention to the big, stubborn weeds.  While the weeds spray did slow their roll, it did not kill the weeds; more seemed to pop up over night.  That's when I took matters into my own hands, and reverted to the old tried and true method of digging them up, root and all.  

As I worked my way through my yard, flower beds, and garden, I found the metaphors for the weeds (sins/bad/evil things in our lives) popping up everywhere.  Here are a few for your enjoyment and reflection:

We all have weeds.  Ignoring them, or being too busy to address them will not make them go away, it just allows them to get more out of hand.

Get over your embarrassment of your weeds. Those closest to you already know about them, and will be so happy when you finally get rid of them.

Don't leave the small weeds thinking they are harmless.  They are only one good rain away from being a pain to get rid of.

Weeds love to grow close to your cherished flowers and vegetable plants.  When you allow this you can't get rid of them without damaging your good plants.

Weeds' roots grow deep and strong with no effort at all. All you have to do is let them go untethered, and they become beasts in no time.

You can try the surface approach to kill weeds, but if you really want to get rid of them you have to dig them up.

Not only must you dig the weeds up, but you have to throw them in the trash, or they will just re-root and start growing again.

If you let your weeds get out of hand, it is A LOT of work, blood, sweat, and yes tears, to get them removed from your yard.

Daily review and removal is the best way to keep weeds in check.

Weeds can present themselves in so many ways: negative people or places, time drainers, addictions, sinful behaviors & thoughts, you name it!  

Time is a precious commodity, especially in our present society.  I for one need to daily evaluate "What can I eliminate".  It is easily consumed by work, activities, sports, you name it!  For my daughter it's watching TV, which in and of itself is not evil or sinful.  But, left unchecked and unlimited, it would grown to be a major part of her daily life, taking over, not leaving room for the good things to grow and flourish.

For some it's negative people or place.  Maybe they have been in your life for a long time, and it's just easier to not rock the boat.  But these people are not there for your good.  No, in fact they suck the nutrients meant for your good plants, the good people and things in your life have no room to grow.  Why do you allow them to take up room in your yard?  Why do you continue to let them grow?  Remove them, and don't allow them back in. 

For others it is a sinful behavior or addictions that you don't want to give up.  You hold on to it like it's not growing big and ugly in the middle of your yard.  The longer you let it grow, the deeper the root grows, and the harder it is to get rid of.

What does your yard look like?  Identify your weeds.

What do you want your yard to look like?

Which flowers (gifts & priorities) do you WANT to grow?

Who are you at the core?  What did God make you for?   

Are you pursuing, polishing, refining, practicing that daily?  

Unless we are purposeful, and consciously making room for and guarding our good plants, our time with God, our dedication to the gifts and missions He gives us, we will miss our callings and fall short of our potential as a children of God.  

Get rid of the weeds.  Allow your yard to flourish and be enjoyed by your family and friends and most importantly God.