It's funny how weeds love to grow when the temperatures soar.
For a while you hardly notice them. They sneak in and grow along with the grass. Then
they take off. You can recognize them because they shoot up with an attitude.
They spread like wild fire, creeping through the ground, and before you know
it, they have choked out the good grass.
You must stop the choking. You must take action and try to
save the good grass. The directions on the container of weed killer say to
treat weeds during the growing season. Spray the weeds while they are growing
and they will be stopped. Last week I did just that. I sprayed with a
vengeance— nutgrass, crabgrass, and a multitude of "other" grasses
that do not belong in my lawn. Each day now, I celebrate a little more of the
yellowing and wilting of the invaders.
By contrast, there is a parable in the Bible where Jesus talks
to the disciples about weeds and wheat. The farmer sows the wheat and while he is
sleeping, a villain comes in and sows weeds to grow up with the wheat. The
workers ask the farmer if they should pull up the weeds, but the farmer says to
let the weeds grow with the wheat, that he alone will separate the two when it
is time for the harvest, keeping the wheat and burning the weeds forever.
(Matthew 13)
The lesson from the parable reminds me that for this present
moment, I am that farmer. Although gratefully I am not to judge, I am to distinguish between the weeds and wheat—the
good and the bad in my life. I am to control the invasive and harmful things
that want to discourage and destroy me. I have to be constantly on the lookout
for them. And I am to cultivate the good with nourishment and attention. Oh,
it's hard work. And sometimes we get weary and just want to ignore those things
in our lives that seek to invade and destroy. But until that final harvest comes
that is spoken of in Matthew, we must work the fields— and wait—and trust. We
must educate ourselves and know the difference between good and bad - truth and
lies. We must know how to vote, what to stand for, and where to draw the line.
Where are you celebrating "the wilting of the
invaders" in your life?
