Know Your Weeds

Weeds. A weed is defined as a plant growing where it is not wanted or intentionally sown.  A plant that competes or interferes with the activity of deliberately placed plants.

Weeds.  God has been speaking to me about the weeds in our life.

Jesus speaks directly to the thorny weeds in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8).  A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.  The narrative states Jesus was teaching a large group of folks.  His story telling of these four different scenarios would most definitely encompass them all. In this story, although mightily important, the Sower is not the focal point, he goes about sowing, scattering the seed at will. The seed, although powerfully essential, it too is not the prominent point.  The point is the receiving ground. 

Four Seeding Scenarios: First, the seed fell on the path, where it was trampled and became bird food.  The second, the seed fell on rocky ground, where it sat in shallow dirt, exposed, receiving no nutrients or moisture, and dried up.  The third, the seed was among the thorny weeds, the thorns choked out the seeded plants.  The fourth, the seed fell on good ground, matured, producing fruit.

Notice the first two seedings don’t really hit the soil, they are on the path and rocks (external).  The second two are “soiled” (internal).  The seed, which Jesus explains is the Word of God, it is taken in – into the heart.

Yet. Weeds.

In that area, Palestinian weeds like these thorns can grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.  Regardless of the Godzilla size, the weeds compete for nutrients. This competing-choking literally means to suffocate.  To suffocate is to halt the ability to thrive, to breathe, to live.  Fascinating.  The Word of God is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Jesus goes on to explain, “The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity” (emphasis mine, Luke 8:14, NLT).

Cares, riches and pleasures AND the word of God.  Yep.  Sounds crowded.  Our worries, cares easily bleed into anxiety, which brings disruption to the mind, the heart and yes, the soul. Riches can be defined as seeking hard after “having the wants.” And pleasures, those distractions that pull our look elsewhere for gratification.  Individually they are not bad.  But.  When they take time, effort and attention away from the Word, we end up having no time for it – no time for God. 

Yes, weeds. “But all too quickly” they suck the ever-loving God stuff right out of our life.  Our receiving ground starts strong – but the distractions come, the concern for spiritual things are crowded out by material things.  The potential of fruit has just shriveled and never matured.

Weeds.  What worries suffocate you?  What are you seeking hard after?  God, His word, or stuff?  What distractions have you looking – what has your attention?

Know YOUR weeds. 

How are weeds established?  Literally, they are poop droppings (eewwWW) or they are blown in by the winds.  They are brought in with fill dirt. How are they destroyed? They are pulled.  They are dug deep and pulled, making sure you get the whole root, if not, the remains will continue to grow.  They are pulled out before they have a chance to flower and reseed – multiply.

Weeds. Competing or interfering with the activity of the deliberately placed Word of God.  Watch your dirt.  Protect the seed. Do some weed pulling.

In Him, DeDe (“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds” – Hebrews 10:24).

*Thank you to my Master Gardener friend Kathy B for your insightful advice on tending to weeds.