It’s spring! Time for me to head to the garden. It’s a passion of mine. I’m not great at it, but I do enjoy getting my hands in the dirt. And there are plenty of spiritual applications found in that garden of mine.
This year, on one of those early spring warmish days, I put on my gloves, went across the road (a short walk from home) ready to begin tilling, digging, spading, and making ready the soil for some early seed.
What I was met with was a big disappointment. The garden was covered in weeds. Dead weeds, but still weeds.
You see, last year, well… I just didn’t get back over to the garden during those hot, hot August/September days to remove the grass and weeds. And grass and weeds LOVE hot weather! I always meant to. It just didn’t happen.
It got me to thinking. Weeds are a lot like sin in our lives, particularly the sin of negligence.
Here are a few ways negligence has shown itself in my life:
That’s just the way I am.
Oh, it’s just a little thing, not that big of a deal.
I’ll work on that later.
I’ll get back to it soon.
And just as those weeds are strongholds in my garden, going to seed, creating more and more weeds this season, those sins of negligence take root in my heart. I get comfortable with them. I don’t notice them. I don’t deal with them.
This year, on one of those early spring warmish days, I put on my gloves, went across the road (a short walk from home) ready to begin tilling, digging, spading, and making ready the soil for some early seed.
What I was met with was a big disappointment. The garden was covered in weeds. Dead weeds, but still weeds.
You see, last year, well… I just didn’t get back over to the garden during those hot, hot August/September days to remove the grass and weeds. And grass and weeds LOVE hot weather! I always meant to. It just didn’t happen.
It got me to thinking. Weeds are a lot like sin in our lives, particularly the sin of negligence.
Here are a few ways negligence has shown itself in my life:
That’s just the way I am.
Oh, it’s just a little thing, not that big of a deal.
I’ll work on that later.
I’ll get back to it soon.
And just as those weeds are strongholds in my garden, going to seed, creating more and more weeds this season, those sins of negligence take root in my heart. I get comfortable with them. I don’t notice them. I don’t deal with them.
Oh God. Reveal to us the sins of neglect that will consume us if we don’t wake up and allow you to reign fully in our hearts.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 NLT
good reminder! yes, i need to get some weeds out of my flower beds as well.
ReplyDeleteThat's good. I always say i'll get to "that" tomorrow and next thing I know it's been two weeks! The scary thing is that if you don't notice sin it will creep up on you so quick and before you know it you are already consumed with it. For me that is why I constantly have to examine my life and weed out all of the extra stuff at that time, whether it be sin or not.
ReplyDeleteI need to hit "shut down" on the computer a little more often...and kill a few weeds.
ReplyDeleteI read a post from James Kitson this morning reminding me there is a battle going on for my LOYALTY. ouch.
Sin can creep in like a week that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am always running around with the bottle of roundup
ReplyDeleteBut if we weed daily, we won't have much to weed, now will we? I have experienced this spiritual application in my gardening as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike :)
Amen!
ReplyDeleteWhy do we always try to get spiritual significance in everyday life? Getting your hands in the dirt sounds like it's more about hell than heaven. Thank you for linking yourself to Erin's page
ReplyDeleteThat's good. I have been teaching my kids so much in this planting season - can't wait till harvest!
ReplyDeletei found you too!
ReplyDeleteI needed to read this today!
ReplyDeleteGreat post...I love thinking these thoughts every year. How deeply rooted some things can get and how far they can spread and how ugly they are (crabgrass here!)
ReplyDeleteMaggie